


Sebastian/Stefano Promptober Shorts

by DetectiveSebCas



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bondage, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Drugged Sex, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Forced Prostitution, Frottage, Gore, Hand Jobs, Hiding, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Injections, Innuendo, Lingerie, Love Triangles, M/M, Manipulation, October Prompt Challenge, Oral Sex, Prostitution, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-11-09 04:16:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 42
Words: 42,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveSebCas/pseuds/DetectiveSebCas
Summary: A collection of Sebastian/Stefano shorts from prompts submitted to my Tumblr. See chapter titles for abbreviated prompts and chapter summaries for full prompts and specific warnings.Unless otherwise noted, these 1000 word shorts are stand-alones and not related to my other stories.





	1. Day 1- Anima

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: For the Whumptober thingy I’d love to see Seb and Stef running from Anima in union and they manage to hide together in some rather close quarters ;) ;) even better if it can be canon where they’re still adversaries but they put their differences aside for a second so they don’t get eaten by a scary ghost lady.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: mild descriptions of violence, horror themes, explicit language (nothing worse than canon)

There are few things in Union that give Stefano any cause for concern, but the ghostly, singing woman is one of them. So when he spots her drifting toward him down the street in the residential district, he is quick to duck inside the nearest house. He has encountered her once before, and once was enough. He has no desire to relive that experience- the cold, the static, being thrust head-first into his worst memories...

He does feel a little silly running from her when he has the power of the Core, but in their last encounter he found himself unable to summon that power, crushed under the weight of his own past. Evading her is his only viable option. He finds a large wardrobe in the back bedroom, yanks the door open, and dives inside.

He doesn’t expect the wardrobe to already be occupied.

“What the fuck?” snarls Sebastian, throwing an elbow into his ribs. “Get off me, you asshole!”

“I cannot very well ‘get off’ you,” Stefano hisses back. “Where would I go?” The wardrobe is the only remotely safe place in the house, and the two of them are occupying all of the available space inside it.

“Not my problem,” growls Sebastian, giving him another shove.

The singing is getting louder now, and the temperature in the room is dropping. “Shut up,” he tells Sebastian in his most commanding whisper.

“ _ You _ shut up,” Sebastian whispers back. Stefano thinks it’s actually advisable for both of them to shut up, so he doesn’t offer further argument.

The singing is even louder, and the static is starting to fill Stefano’s senses- the buzz in his ears and the distortions at the edges of his vision. Sebastian must be experiencing it too, and, as if by some unspoken agreement, they both freeze. Stefano can feel his heart hammering in his chest where Sebastian’s shoulder is pressed against it. He holds his breath and waits for the feelings to pass- the terrible, bone-deep cold, the prickles of static that make him want to flinch away from his own head.

His brain is being pulled in on itself. There is blood in his mouth and sand in his eyes and a hand on his arm.

“Shhhh,” someone hisses in his ear, and he isn’t in the desert. He is in a very small space with a man who is supposed to be his enemy. It is Sebastian’s hand on his arm, and the eerie singing is moving away from them. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm his nerves and his shaking, but he can’t tell where his own tremors end and Sebastian’s begin.

It is comforting to think that he’s not the only one who is afraid, but Sebastian has some nerve to shush him when he obviously knows how much they need to be quiet. “You can let go of me now,” Stefano mutters.

“I’m not touching you!” Sebastian snaps back.

Stefano glances pointedly at his arm, realizes Sebastian can’t see him in the darkness, and wiggles his arm a little for emphasis. Sebastian lets out a huff and snatches his hand away.

They sit in silence for a few more seconds. The singing is farther off but still audible, and Stefano is willing to overlook his differences with Sebastian for the moment if it keeps him alive.

Apparently Sebastian is taking a different approach.

“Where is Lily?” he hisses.

Stefano heaves a sigh. “This isn’t the time, Sebastian.”

“God damn it, Stefano-” Sebastian begins, shoving his shoulder into Stefano’s chest in a way that is decidedly more aggressive than their earlier grappling. Stefano grunts reflexively, and the singing stops abruptly.

They both freeze, not even daring to breathe, until the singing starts again. Stefano’s heart sinks. It’s getting closer.

“Shit,” Sebastian mutters.

“This is your fault,” Stefano whispers.

“You think I don’t know that?” Sebastian whispers back.

The cold is returning. Sebastian’s hands are still on him, but now it’s less like they’re struggling and more like Sebastian is clinging to him in terror. Stefano’s hands are fumbling in the dark, finding Sebastian and holding on as the static starts to build inside his head.

He is shaking, and Sebastian is shaking against him, and the singing is right outside the wardrobe now, the cold and the static in full force as Stefano struggles to keep his grip on the world around him, to keep his grip on Sebastian.

The intensity grows until he is sure they are both going to lose their minds, but then the singing begins to recede, and the cold and the static along with it. She must be moving farther away, and this time neither one of them is foolish enough to make a noise.

Stefano never thought he would be so eager to breathe air that is warm and stuffy, but he can feel his strength and resolve returning with every breath he takes. He also can’t help but notice that Sebastian’s arms are still around him.

“You can let go of me now,” he says, proud of how confident his voice sounds.

Sebastian lets out a snort of laughter. “ _ You _ can let go of  _ me _ ,” he points out.

Stefano realizes that he is, in fact, still holding on to Sebastian, and he drops his arms abruptly as Sebastian does the same. In the next few seconds, they both catch their breath, and Stefano can feel the energy between them shift.

“Where is Lily?” Sebastian is all business now, voice hard and commanding, and Stefano actually feels relieved at the return to their normal dynamic.

He smiles in the dark. “Why don’t you come and find out?” he says. “I would hate to never see you again.”

Before Sebastian can react, Stefano is on his feet and out of the wardrobe and stepping back into the subspace of Union where Sebastian cannot reach him. He is still smiling to himself. He really does hope Sebastian lives long enough to see him again.


	2. Day 2- Lingerie (Afterimage)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: As a prompt for Steseb, maybe Sebastian in Lingerie in Canon or Afterimage to impress Stef? Thank you!
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit sexual content, explicit language
> 
> Universe: Afterimage

“Sebastian?”

Sebastian mentally shakes himself and focuses on Stefano, who is sitting across the dinner table from him wearing a rather bemused expression.

“Is something wrong my dear?” Stefano prompts. “You seem...distracted this evening.”

‘Distracted’ is an understatement. When Sebastian decided to trade his usual boxer shorts for something a little more special, he had no idea how aware of his new undergarments he would be. Even now when he is sitting still, the lace rubs against his skin and the straps squeeze him in unexpected places, and he doesn’t understand why anyone would wear stockings in the first place.

All the same, he feels a little prickle of excitement in his belly, because he knows Stefano is going to like this. He isn’t sure exactly how he knows, but there is no doubt in his mind. His anticipation of Stefano’s reaction to this discovery adds a whole new level of distraction, and he is grateful that at least they are dining at home tonight. It’s hard enough to keep up a conversation with Stefano without also having to interact with other people.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Sebastian says. “I’m just looking forward to the after dinner activities.” He gives Stefano a little smile and hopes that this is explanation enough, because he really does want this to be a surprise.

“Of course you are,” Stefano says with a smile. It is at times like this that Sebastian thinks Stefano knows more than he is letting on. “And I do not see any reason why we should wait.” He pushes his chair back from the table and sets his napkin aside. “Undress for me.”

Sebastian’s heart is pounding as he pushes his own chair back and stands up. He circles the table, and Stefano pivots in his seat to watch him. Sebastian doesn’t have quite the dramatic flair that Stefano does, but he is doing his best. He turns his back to Stefano, shooting him a playful smile over his shoulder as he unbuttons his shirt, letting it hang loose but not turning to face Stefano yet.

He undoes his pants, slipping them off his hips and leaning forward to give Stefano a good view of his ass as he drops them to the floor. The sharp intake of breath behind him tells him that he has succeeded in surprising Stefano.

“Oh my,” Stefano says after a moment. His voice is deep, huskier than usual, and Sebastian is already getting hard just hearing him sound like that. “Did you do this for me?”

Sebastian thinks that’s kind of a ridiculous question. Everything he does is for Stefano. “Who else?” he says as he steps out of his trousers and shoes, lets his shirt fall from his shoulders, and turns around.

The look on Stefano’s face is almost comical. His eye goes wide and his mouth drops open slightly. He swallows hard as he looks Sebastian up and down.

Sebastian does consider that he may have gone a little overboard with his attire. The sheer black panties trimmed with red lace probably would have been enough all by themselves, but Sebastian doesn’t do anything halfway, so he couldn’t pass up the matching corset and garter belt and black thigh-high stockings.

Stefano has composed himself and is now staring at him with an intensity that is absolutely predatory. It makes Sebastian’s stomach turn over, because he wants Stefano to seize him, to tear these flimsy pieces of fabric off of his body and take him right here on the dining room table.

“Come here,” Stefano commands, and Sebastian obediently steps forward, stopping just out of Stefano’s reach.

“Closer,” Stefano says. Sebastian takes another step, bringing his crotch within inches of Stefano’s face.

“I didn’t think you had much of an eye for pretty things, Sebastian,” Stefano says almost to himself. His fingers trace along Sebastian’s thigh, idly rub the lace trim on one leg of his panties, and dip underneath to just brush against his cock. “I can see I was wrong.”

Sebastian shivers. He is definitely hard now, tenting the lacy underwear obscenely. Stefano’s fingers tease his length a few more times, and there is already precum leaking out of his cock and seeping into the sheer fabric. Stefano sees it as well, eyes it hungrily, and Sebastian has no time to react before Stefano’s mouth is on him, closing over the head of his cock through the material.

A strangled cry escapes his throat, because Stefano doesn’t often pleasure him like this, and there is something so sensual and so dirty about the way he is doing it through these lacy panties. Stefano is licking and sucking and doing his best to devour him, and his hand cradles Sebastian’s balls, massages them in time with the movements of his mouth.

Sebastian’s hands are clenched into fists at his sides, fingernails digging into his palms. He wants to arch into Stefano’s mouth, wants to grab Stefano’s head and pull him harder against his cock, but he knows that if he wants to please Stefano, he must be still. Stefano is always admonishing him about self-control and discipline, and he wants to be disciplined for Stefano, wants to earn Stefano’s praise.

Stefano works his mouth up and down the length of his cock, thoroughly soaking the front of his panties, and all Sebastian can do is gasp and whimper and fight to stand still. Stefano’s other hand is slipping behind him, grabbing his ass to pull him even closer as Stefano’s teeth graze the head of his cock, sending a rush of pleasure that makes him sway on the spot.

“Please, Stefano,” he gasps, because Stefano’s mouth is warm and wet and perfect, and Stefano’s hands are squeezing him just the right way, and he is so close. He wants to come. He needs to come.

“Not yet,” growls Stefano. “I’m just getting started with you.” He places a kiss on the tip of Sebastian’s cock. “You should play dress-up more often.”


	3. Day 3- Catalyst Divergence (Chapter 19)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In the Catalyst universe, after Stefano was released from Theodore's control, what if Obscura didn't meet Seb first but found Stefano first? (so that Stefano won't get the photograph Obscura took while Seb is crying). What would happen then when Seb beat Theodore (just like in game, even without assistance, Seb is still able to beat Theodore) and came back to find Stefano?
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: none
> 
> Universe: Catalyst (This won’t make much sense unless you’ve read it.)

Sebastian thought that the instant he held Lily in his arms, everything would be alright, but his heart is still aching.

“Where’s Mr. Valentini?” Lily asks, her voice muffled by Sebastian’s shoulder.

Sebastian holds her tighter and shakes his head. He doesn’t know where Stefano is, and he doesn’t want to admit that to Lily. Lily knows Stefano was helping them, and if she finds out what happened, what Sebastian did…He can’t finish the thought. It makes him sick to his stomach to think of how much he hurt Stefano, even if he had no other choice.

“Dad!” Lily pushes away from him. He lets her go, only to find himself caught by her fierce eyes. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian says, looking down at the floor, somehow humbled by this child whose intentions are so pure and who couldn’t possibly understand what happened between him and Stefano. In fact, Lily’s mind was so pure that she was chosen as the Core for all of Union, and that gives Sebastian an idea.

“Can you see him?” he asks Lily. He doesn’t know how much conscious control Lily has over her power, but it’s worth a try.

Lily’s face lights up, and she looks thoughtful for a moment. “He’s at the hotel,” she says brightly. Then her face falls. “He’s...Dad, what did you do?” Her tone is suddenly accusatory, and Sebastian takes that to mean that she can tell something about Stefano’s emotional state.

“Hopefully nothing I can’t fix,” he says. He stands up, gathers Lily in his arms, and takes off for the Sanctuary Hotel.

  
  
  


He probably wouldn’t have needed Lily’s power to figure out where Stefano is, because as they approach the hotel, he hears a familiar moaning and spots Obscura waiting by the front door. She perks up at the site of Sebastian and Lily.

“I’ll stay with Obscura,” Lily volunteers. “You go and find Stefano.”

Sebastian is so sick with worry that he doesn’t bother to ask himself why Lily isn’t afraid of Obscura or how they know each other or why he is taking orders from a child. He throws open the door and steps inside.

Stefano looks up from where he is seated on the couch, and Sebastian’s heart is pounding just at the sight of him. His first instinct is to rush to Stefano, to take him in his arms and hold him and soothe all of his pain away, but he hesitates. Stefano’s face is guarded, and his body language is tense.

Sebastian has no idea where to start, no idea what to say, and all he can come up with is, “Stefano.” His own voice is strange in his ears.

“Sebastian.” Stefano’s voice is hollow, empty. “Haven’t you done enough?” His expression isn’t fear or anger, but resignation.

“My god, Stefano,” Sebastian breathes. “I am so sorry.”

Stefano says nothing, so Sebastian presses on.

“You know that wasn’t me. I mean, it was me, but you know I didn’t want to. Theodore-” The sob that has been welling up in his throat emerges, stifles his words, chokes him, and he is gasping for air, hunching forward as the sobs overtake him. The way Stefano is looking at him now- like Sebastian has hurt him just like every other man, just like Stefano knew he would- is too much to bear.

“Please,” he finally manages to gasp out. “Please, I know you probably never want to see me again, but just tell me what I can do, give me a chance…” He doesn’t even know what he is asking for, and he drops to one knee, crushed by the weight of his guilt. He buries his face in his hands and lets the tears come, because he deserves this. He deserves to be miserable for what he did to Stefano.

“Sebastian.” There is a hand on his shoulder, and he raises his head to see that Stefano is standing in front of him. His expression is strained, exhausted, but there might be just a hint of warmth that wasn’t there before. “Stand up,” Stefano says, leaning down and taking him by the arms.

Getting to his feet takes more effort than it ever has before, but then he is face to face with Stefano, and Stefano is so close, and he can’t hold back any longer. He throws his arms around Stefano and pulls him close. He feels Stefano tense up at first, worries that he’s made another mistake, but then Stefano’s arms are around him as well, and Stefano is relaxing, melting against him.

The sobs are racking his body, but between them he manages to whisper, “I’m sorry,” over and over again until Stefano shushes him.

“I know that wasn’t you, Sebastian,” Stefano murmurs in his ear once his sobs have quieted. “I know you, and I know that wasn’t you.” He sighs. “Sometimes it is easier for me to assume you will behave like other men,” he adds, “even though you are not like other men at all.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sebastian says again, pressing a kiss to Stefano’s forehead. He’s not even sure what he’s apologizing for now- that other men have hurt Stefano, that he hurt Stefano?- but he pours all of his feelings into his embrace. If it was possible to heal Stefano, to ease his pain simply by willing it to be so, then surely he would have done it by now.

He is still clinging to Stefano when a tremor shakes the ground under them.

“We need to go,” Sebastian says, reluctantly letting go of Stefano and stepping back.

“We?”

“Of course,” Sebastian says. “I’m not leaving you here.”

It takes only seconds to collect Lily and Obscura, and then they are on their way back to the safehouse.

Halfway down the street, Sebastian shoots a furtive glance over Lily’s shoulder at Stefano.

“It’s alright,” Stefano says.

“No, it’s not,” Sebastian insists.

“Perhaps not now,” Stefano concedes, “but it will be.”


	4. Day 4- Coffee Shop/Bookstore AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Coffee Shop AU where Sebastian Castellanos has a café right down from one run by the mysterious, but friendly Stefano Valentini, and they have an adorable rivalry that's overseen by a very irate bookshop keeper, Theodore, who has to deal with the both of them looking to him for advice on how to win over the other.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, innuendo

“He is so fucking irritating!” Sebastian huffs, picking up a book and thumbing idly through it before thrusting it back onto the shelf at random.

Theodore flinches. Sebastian is hard on his books, but he suspects Sebastian is hard on everything.

Sebastian strides over to the front window of the bookstore, almost pressing his face to the glass in an effort to see down the street. “Look at him over there with his fancy drinks and his moody lighting,” he growls. “And what kind of name is Veritas for a coffee shop anyway?”

Theodore knows by now that he would be wasting his breath if he attempted to answer Sebastian’s question. Sebastian has been in his bookstore at least once a week for the last two months- stomping around, putting all of his books out of order, and grumbling about Stefano Valentini.

He can’t resist making an observation, however. “You certainly seem...preoccupied with Mr. Valentini.”

“What?” Sebastian whips around, a blush already coloring his cheeks. “No! I’m not preoccupied- I’m...offended.” He puffs up his chest as he continues, “His business is ridiculous! It’s all form and no substance! Who comes to a coffee shop for the atmosphere?”

Theodore raises an eyebrow as he starts to put his shelves back in order. Maybe Sebastian has a soft spot after all. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” he says, almost to himself.

“Who are you calling a lady?” Sebastian shoots back.

  
  
  
  


“That man is an embarrassment,” Stefano fumes as he leans against the counter by the register. “He has no idea how to run a business.” His eye narrows as he gazes out the window. “Or how to dress, for that matter.”

Theodore doesn’t have to look up from his work to know that Stefano is talking about Sebastian. Stefano has talked of almost nothing else the entire time he’s been visiting Theodore’s shop. If he spent half as much time focusing on his business as he spends complaining about Sebastian, he would be very wealthy indeed.

“Can you believe people actually drink that bilge-water he calls coffee?” Stefano snorts. “Philistines.”

Theodore heaves a sigh. “I wouldn’t call his coffee watery,” he observes. Sebastian’s coffee is strong enough to wake the dead. “Quite the opposite in fact. Have you ever tried it?”

Stefano makes a disgusted face. “As if I would allow anything of  _ his _ into my body.”

Theodore wants so badly to make a comment, but he bites his tongue. Stefano is a very proud man, after all. The silence hangs heavy between them.

“I know what I said,” Stefano says finally, a look of resignation on his face. Then he turns and storms out the door with a muttered, “Damn it all!”

Theodore watches him go and wonders if Stefano realizes how much he is  _ actually _ saying.

  
  
  
  


“If I wanted to,” Sebastian begins before quickly adding, “-and I’m not saying that I do- but just hypothetically if I wanted to approach someone like Stefano, how would I go about that?”

“So glad you asked,” Theodore replies, because he has reached the point where watching Sebastian and Stefano obsess over each other has become almost intolerable and their frequent, highly agitated presence in his shop is starting to drive away customers. And here is the perfect opportunity to put an end to all of this and restore the peace.

“First of all, put a little thought into your appearance- clothes, grooming, that sort of thing,” Theodore offers.

Sebastian frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Theodore answers with no hesitation. “You said it yourself. The formal elements are important to him. You would do well not to neglect them.”

“I guess so,” Sebastian says thoughtfully. “But even if I clean up a little, he still thinks I’m some kind of ruffian.”

Theodore can’t argue with that. He’s heard Stefano use exactly that word to refer to Sebastian on more than one occasion. “Maybe so, but brushing up on a few basic niceties would show him that he’s...not entirely correct.”

“Hey!” Sebastian protests.

“Come with me,” Theodore says, leading the way to the back of the shop. “I think I have a few books that may be of interest to you.

  
  
  
  


“What do you think, Theodore?” Stefano asks later that same day. “Is it the height of folly for me to be interested in someone so...so boorish?” Predictably, he is looking off in the direction of Sebastian’s shop again.

“He’s not so bad,” Theodore says, “and more importantly, he’s trying to improve himself.” Or at least he had better be. Theodore didn’t send him home with all of those books on etiquette for nothing.

“But why him?” Stefano says, sounding genuinely distressed. “There are a thousand more suitable men in the world! There are probably a thousand more suitable men in this city!”

“None of us can choose where we shall love,” Theodore says. He turns his attention back to restoring order on one of the shelves Sebastian was pawing through earlier.

“Is that from a book?” Stefano asks with a distinctly suspicious note in his voice.

“I’m sure it is,” Theodore replies. “I have forgotten more books than most people have ever read.”

Stefano seems to be satisfied with this answer, because he doesn’t speak for a few minutes, and Theodore returns to his work. He is almost finished with the shelf when Stefano quietly clears his throat.

“As you are so well-read, what do you suppose I should do now?” There is none of Stefano’s trademark sarcasm in the question.

“You could make an effort to be more approachable,” Theodore suggests. “Maybe stop calling him things like ‘philistine’ and ‘brute’.”

Stefano’s brow furrows. “You are asking quite a lot of me.”

“You’ll manage,” says Theodore.

  
  
  
  


The next evening, Theodore looks out the front window of his shop to see Sebastian and Stefano sharing a bottle of wine at the restaurant across the street. He smiles to himself. Some of the best love stories aren’t found in books.


	5. Day 5- Sebastian Defeated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: So say Theodore won. He has the power of The Core. Mind control and global domination all around. Sebastian is defeated. Lily is gone. Would Stefano even grant Seb some mercy or go straight to the art? Idk this isn’t much of a prompt request but I’d love to see that interaction in your words whether smut or whump or what.
> 
> Requested by: sebcastellanyes
> 
> Warnings: violence (between Stefano and Sebastian), making art, major character death; This gets rough, so if you prefer the softer stories, maybe sit this one out.

The knife rends flesh, scrapes bone, lays him bare before the eye of the artist. Sebastian knows he should resist, knows he should be screaming by now, but the pain of what Stefano is doing to his body is nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

Lily is gone. He has heard those same words so many times over the past few years- from Myra, from Joseph, from his department-issued therapist. Before that night in the bar with Kidman, before Union, he had started saying those words to himself in an attempt to reunite with reality, to hold on to what was left of his mind.

Learning about Union, learning there was a chance to save Lily was a tiny glimmer of hope in a desolate world, but now all of that hope is gone, because Theodore has won. Theodore was able to break his mind, break his will with his own shortcomings- his fear, his doubt, his guilt, his memories of Beacon, his regrets about not being there for Myra and Lily.

And now Lily really is gone. Lily is dead- no, Lily is worse than dead. She is a slave to Theodore’s will, and all because Sebastian failed. He had expected to be killed outright rather than turned over to Stefano, but it hardly matters now. He is in his own personal hell, regardless of the plans Stefano has for him.

He lets himself slump against Stefano’s work table. He couldn’t leave it if he wanted to, tied down as he is, but he has no fight left in him. There is nothing to fight for anymore.

A gloved hand brushes his cheek. There is dampness there, and he doesn’t know if it is his tears or his blood or something else. “It’s alright, my dear,” murmurs Stefano, his voice oddly soothing in Sebastian’s ear. “You are becoming art. When I am finished with you, you will be magnificent.”

Sebastian has nothing to say to him. Sebastian has nothing to say to anyone.

Stefano’s hand trails down his ribcage, and the knife follows. In spite of the crushing guilt, the cutting does hurt, and Sebastian’s breath catches in his throat. “Easy,” Stefano says, hand and knife still working in unison, “True art requires suffering. Inspiration is no use if one cannot stomach the process of creation.”

They must be making some art, because Sebastian is suffering intensely, both from the white-hot pain of Stefano’s knife and the thoughts that are tearing his brain apart from the inside. He has all but tuned out the artist’s rambling words when Stefano’s tone becomes less dreamy and more matter-of-fact.

“You believe that you have failed, yes?”

Sebastian says nothing.

“I suppose in a way you have,” Stefano continues, apparently unperturbed by Sebastian’s lack of response. “The same way that I failed in Florence.” He continues to work as he speaks, and Sebastian’s awareness ebbs and flows with the pain.

“I had a glimpse of success, of artistic glory, of the most important thing in the world, but it slipped through my fingers,” he muses. “The same way the girl slipped through yours.”

“Her name is Lily,” gasps Sebastian.

“I know,” Stefano replies, “but what good will it do her now?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer. There is nothing to say.

“You may not realize it, but you have one last opportunity,” Stefano says, approaching Sebastian’s head.

Sebastian opens his mouth to ask what the hell Stefano is talking about, but Stefano cuts him off.

“Not to save her,” he says, “but to control how she will remember you.” He brushes Sebastian’s hair out of his eyes, almost fondly.

“She is still aware, you know,” he continues. “He may have harnessed her power, but she is still aware of everything in Union, and as long as Theodore continues to use her for his own ends, she will remain aware. Whatever is left of you in this world may be all that she has left to comfort her.”

Sebastian’s head swims. Surely these are the ramblings of a madman. Lily can’t see him. He wouldn’t want Lily to see him like this.

Stefano returns to his work, and Sebastian grits his teeth against the pain. He is too weak and exhausted to do anything else.

“Do you want her to remember you as the man who failed to save her? Or as something beautiful?” he asks.

Sebastian thinks it might be better if Lily doesn’t remember him at all. He hasn’t done anything worthy of being remembered. Myra was the kind of parent Lily deserved. Myra was the one who never gave up, the one who kept searching for Lily even when it made no logical sense, the one who found Lily. Myra did a much better job protecting Lily than Sebastian ever did, but even she was no match for Theodore.

He is so lost in these thoughts that he doesn’t register Stefano’s movement until he leans in close to his face.

“She spoke of you.”

“Lily did?” Sebastian whispers. His mouth is so dry, and his voice is almost gone.

“Yes, she did,” Stefano replies. “When Lily was with me, she told me about you, how strong you were, how brave…”

“Not...strong...enough.” Sebastian forces out.

“But so brave,” Stefano murmurs, stroking his cheek again, “brave enough to take on an entire world of enemies just to have the chance to see her again.”

There is dampness on Sebastian’s cheek again, and this time, it’s definitely tears.

“You have such a noble story, Sebastian,” Stefano says, brushing the tears away. “One that I will capture forever in my art. When people look at this photo, they will not see how you failed but what you sacrificed.”

Sebastian’s vision is beginning to go dark around the edges, and the pain is gone, but a coldness is slowly creeping up his limbs.

Stefano steps back and picks up his camera. “Now, smile for me.”

There is a bright flash of light, then darkness.


	6. Day 6- War Photographer Stefano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What if during their final boss fight Seb is being pushed against the art wall getting too close to the photo of the grenade going off that cost Stefano his eye (the one shown in the promo trailer). Magically, Seb gets sucked into this moment and finds himself in a desert land reliving Stefano's memory of that day. He also encounters young war photograph!Stefano and is confused
> 
> Requested by: judas-had-a-crown
> 
> Warnings: mild descriptions of violence

Sebastian sits up and raises a hand to his throbbing head. He squints against the sunlight, feels the sand underneath him, and wonders what the hell happened. This doesn’t seem like Union at all.

He was battling Stefano- dashing around the gallery to compensate for Stefano’s teleportation, ducking and dodging to avoid Stefano’s camera and Stefano’s knife. He remembers being winded, losing sight of Stefano, pausing for just a moment to catch his breath and leaning against one of the paintings…

His mind has only just formed that thought when there is a loud click behind him. He turns around to see a young man in military dress holding a camera. The skin of his face is fresh and unmarred, but Sebastian would recognize those features anywhere.

“Stefano?”

The young man’s face twists in confusion, and he speaks rapidly in Italian. His behavior isn’t hostile though, and this is clearly a different version of Stefano than the one he was fighting in Union. He also vaguely remembers reading something about Stefano being in the military. Is this one of Stefano’s memories?

“Whoa,” Sebastian says. “Slow down. Do you speak English?”

Stefano looks distinctly offended at the question. “How do you know my name?” he says in perfect English. “And what are you doing here anyway? This is a war zone.”

Sebastian glances around him, but the desert stretches out in every direction, and they seem to be quite alone. It dawns on him that if his assumptions are correct, he is now here with Stefano- a younger, more innocent Stefano, but Stefano nonetheless. This man is his enemy, will be his enemy, but at the moment Stefano suspects nothing He is completely vulnerable to Sebastian, with only a camera in his hand and a pistol on his hip.

Sebastian still has his own handgun. He could dispose of Stefano now.

The thought is fleeting, but it is there. Sebastian doesn’t know how this world works, doesn’t know if, by eliminating Stefano here, he could remove Stefano from Union or limit his power somehow. But no- he can’t do that. The Stefano standing before him now is a different man, an earnest young man who probably has no idea what he will become. To kill him now wouldn’t be self-defense; it would be murder.

“Come on,” Stefano says with a wave of his hand. “I’ll take you back to camp.”

“Okay,” Sebastian replies. He is at a bit of a loss for words. This is the first time he’s been in proximity to Stefano with neither one of them trying to kill the other, and he is burning with curiosity about who Stefano was, who Stefano will become.

Stefano leads the way, and for a few minutes they walk in silence until Sebastian can no longer resist asking a question.

“Why did you become a war photographer?”

Stefano turns quickly, and the look on his face is a mixture of surprise and distrust. “Why would you ask me that?”

Sebastian raises his hands in a defensive gesture. “Just curious,” he says. “It’s kind of an unusual career choice.”

Stefano eyes him warily but seems to accept his answer. “I’m not sure I would call it a career,” he says as he turns and continues to lead Sebastian across the desert. “Photography has always been my passion, but recently there has been something...lacking.” Stefano’s shoulders slump a little.

“My work in the studio seemed empty, uninspired,” he continues. “It felt artificial, as thought it was no more than the sum of its parts.”

Sebastian has no idea what this is supposed to mean, but fortunately Stefano decides to elaborate.

“I came here because I want to capture something authentic. I want to make art that matters.”

“And have you done that?” Sebastian asks.

“No,” Stefano replies with a shake of his head. He stops walking and beckons Sebastian to stand next to him. They have come to the top of a rise, and when Sebastian draws level with Stefano he can see the military encampment below them.

“Look at them,” Stefano says, “following orders, going through the motions. Most of them don’t even know what they are fighting for or what they are dying for.” He sighs heavily. “If there is something that matters here, I have not found it.”

He sounds so forlorn that it touches Sebastian’s heart, and he reaches out to place a hand on Stefano’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says.

“No matter,” Stefano says, glancing down at Sebastian’s hand before flashing him a shy smile. “It seems my luck may be about to change.”

“I hope so,” Sebastian says. Based on the information Kidman sent him, this is the time when everything changed for Stefano, and Sebastian finds himself wishing that it could be a change for the better, that history could somehow be rewritten.

He gives Stefano’s shoulder a little squeeze before he lets his hand drop to his side. Stefano turns away and continues down the slope, and Sebastian follows. There is no more conversation until they reach the bottom and begin to approach the camp.

Stefano spots a soldier standing alone at the edge of the camp- maybe on some kind of guard duty-, and he takes up his camera again. “Hold on just a moment please,” he says over his shoulder to Sebastian. “I want to photograph this.”

He circles around, setting up his shot, and Sebastian follows. He doesn’t see the artistic potential here, he doesn’t see the grenade, and he definitely doesn’t see where it came from, but in the next moment, the soldier is springing into action, shouting at all of them to get down.

  
  
  
  
  


When Sebastian regains his vision and his hearing, he is kneeling on the hard wooden floor of Stefano’s gallery, and Stefano is standing in front of him, knife in hand.

“You will not stop me, Sebastian, because now I have something worth fighting for.”

Sebastian grits his teeth and draws his gun. “So do I.”


	7. Day 7- Shaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post-story, Seb finally decides to shave. Either he came up with the idea on his own or because of Lily or Stefano's (or both's) strong request/protest. Fluff.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: none

Stefano wouldn’t exactly say that he dislikes Sebastian’s beard, but there are times when it can be...inconvenient. It gets in the way of kissing, it makes Sebastian look rather unkempt, and it traps food that Sebastian swears he is saving ‘for later’. Lily laughs at that joke every single time, but Stefano thinks it’s getting a little old.

So when Sebastian casually suggests at the breakfast table that he might shave it off, Stefano does his best not to flip over the table in his excitement. He can’t let on that he wants the beard gone, both because he doesn’t want to hurt Sebastian’s feelings and because Sebastian is not above keeping it solely to annoy him.

He does his best to affect an air of casual interest. “I think you’d look very handsome after a nice shave,” he says, before turning his attention back to the newspaper. He glances across the table to see that Sebastian’s cheeks are tinged with pink, because even after all this time, he still blushes like a schoolboy every time Stefano calls him handsome.

“Okay,” Sebastian says, taking a deep breath. “I’ll think about it.”

  
  
  
  


When Stefano has finished reading the paper and tidying up after breakfast, he climbs the stairs to find the bathroom door open. Sebastian is standing there, towel wrapped around his waist, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Stefano frowns. This scene has ‘existential crisis’ written all over it.

He leans against the doorframe. “Sebastian?”

“Hey,” Sebastian says, a look of relief spreading across his face as he turns to Stefano. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why?” Stefano asks. “Has it been so long since you shaved that you’ve managed to forget how?”

“No,” Sebastian replies with a snort of laughter, “but I think I might wait. We have that thing at the gallery tomorrow night.”

Stefano raises an eyebrow. Sebastian does display a genuine, if rather uninformed, enthusiasm for Stefano’s work, but it’s very unlike him to actually remember such an event on his own.

“Facial hair is not a requirement to attend, you know,” Stefano points out, managing to keep the sarcasm in his voice to a minimum.

“Probably not,” Sebastian says turning back to the mirror and running a hand through his hair, “but maybe I should wait just in case.”

Stefano heaves a sigh. This is going to be harder than he thought.

  
  
  
  


“What if my face gets cold?” Sebastian asks that afternoon as he and Stefano are pulling weeds in one of the flowerbeds.

It takes Stefano a moment to realize that Sebastian is back on the shaving topic. “It’s June,” he says. “I think you’ll be alright.”

“I meant what if my face gets cold in the winter?”

Stefano wonders if Sebastian might be teasing him, because there is a strange combination of worry and mischief on his face. All the same, Stefano takes the safe approach. “That’s what scarves are for,” he says. “Besides, isn’t your face hot now?”

“No,” Sebastian replies, wiping a copious amount of sweat from his brow. Stefano fights the urge to roll his eyes.

  
  
  
  


They are curled up on the couch that evening watching TV when Sebastian makes his next argument.

“What if Lily doesn’t recognize me?”

“What is that even supposed to mean?” Stefano asks, raising his head from Sebastian’s chest to look him in the face.

“Keith down the street shaved off his beard, and when he came home his dog just kept barking at him like he was a stranger.”

Stefano still can’t quite be sure whether Sebastian is serious about this or not. His face is impassive, but his eyes are warm, and the point he is trying to make is completely ridiculous.

“Sebastian,” Stefano says with a sigh, “she’s a twelve-year-old human child, not a labradoodle.”

Sebastian laughs at that, and then Lily pops up over the back of the couch, making them both jump.

“I thought you were working on your school project,” Sebastian says. He reaches up to ruffle her hair, but Lily dodges him expertly.

“I was,” she replies, “but I’m finished, because I’m smarter than a labradoodle.”

“Sweetie,” Sebastian begins, “I didn’t mean-“

“Dad!” Lily says. “You just compared me to someone who spends eight hours a day chewing on himself!” She throws up her hands dramatically before storming out of the room in mock-indignation.

“You are in for it now,” Stefano observes, because Lily is a master at working situations like this to her advantage.

“Can I have ice cream?” she calls from the kitchen.

Sebastian looks at Stefano. “I guess I sort of have to say yes now, don’t I?”

Stefano nods. “I think you’re quite fortunate that ice cream is all she’s asking for.”

  
  
  
  


Stefano is about getting ready for bed that night when he walks by the bathroom and spots Sebastian standing in front of the mirror again, idly stroking his beard.

“You know you don’t have to get rid of that for my sake,” he says from the doorway.

“I know,” Sebastian says. “I guess shaving just reminds me of another time...another life, maybe.”

“I understand,” Stefano says. “It may be a powerful reminder for you, but it does not mean you are returning to that life.” They exchange a look, and Stefano knows exactly what Sebastian is thinking. He couldn’t return to that life even if he wanted to...not without Myra.

“Then again,” Sebastian says thoughtfully, “I guess a fresh start might be good.”

Stefano takes a step into the bathroom and leans up to kiss him on the cheek. “You cannot go back anyway. Lily and I won’t let you.”

  
  
  
  


When Sebastian finally comes to bed, he is clean-shaven, and Stefano delights in kissing and licking and nuzzling his way all along Sebastian’s jaw and up and down his neck until he reaches his lips for a long slow kiss.

“Well,” Sebastian says. “If I knew you’d react like this, I would have shaved it off a lot sooner.”


	8. Day 8- Soft Focus Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fluff in the Soft Focus Universe
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: some angst, vague references to bad stuff and prostitution
> 
> Universe: Soft Focus

“I love you,” Stefano murmurs, pressing his face against Sebastian’s thigh as Sebastian’s fingers comb through his hair.

“Love you too,” Sebastian replies absently and turns his attention back to the news on TV.

Several seconds pass before Sebastian‘s brain processes what Stefano actually said. He freezes, hand still in Stefano’s hair, and stares down at Stefano, who now has his undivided attention. “Wait, what?”

Stefano laughs at first, but then his expression softens. “I love you, Sebastian.”

“Really?” It’s the only thing Sebastian can think of to say, though he realizes immediately afterward that he sounds like an idiot. Still, this is a big deal. Sebastian regularly tells Stefano that he loves him, but this is the first time Stefano has ever said it.

Stefano reaches up to cup Sebastian’s cheek. “Yes, really.”

Sebastian places his hand over Stefano’s, turns his head into Stefano’s palm, and presses a kiss to it. Stefano sighs audibly. His hair has fallen back so that his face is beautifully unguarded, his eye is closed, and he has such a look of blissful relaxation that it makes Sebastian’s heart swell with affection.

“When did you decide this?” Sebastian asks, curious about this new development.

Stefano’s smile gets a little wider. “Sebastian, one does not decide to fall in love. Even I know that.”

“Fair enough,” Sebastian replies, because of course Stefano is right. If falling in love was a conscious decision, he might have saved himself quite a bit of heartache, but he would also have missed out on so much…

He presses another kiss to Stefano’s hand.

“That is how I could tell, you know,” Stefano says without opening his eye.

“What?”

“That is how I could tell I loved you,” Stefano repeats. “I am not sure if I can explain it well, but when you touch me it feels...different.”

“Well, I would hope so,” Sebastian says, a little indignant, because of course he is touching Stefano very differently from any of the other men who came before him. He doesn’t even want to think about the things that happened at Slade’s house, about the men there who used Stefano for their own pleasure, about Riker...

Stefano opens his eye. “That is not what I mean. It is more than the physical sensation.” He rolls over, arching his back and wrapping his arms around Sebastian’s waist.

“Over time I have learned to feel very little when people touch me,” Stefano continues. “It made things...easier before. Your touch was always a bit different, but now it is absolutely thrilling.”

Sebastian smiles and runs his hand up Stefano’s back, and Stefano arches into him again. “That’s lovely,” he murmurs with his face almost pressed against Sebastian’s belly.

“Come up here,” Sebastian urges, because it suddenly seems unbearable to have Stefano’s face so far from his.

“You come down here,” Stefano counters, tugging on Sebastian shirt.

“Fine,” Sebastian concedes, “but only if you’ll say it again.”

They rearrange themselves so that they can lie side by side on the couch. Sebastian has to agree that this was a good idea, because from here he can wrap his arms fully around Stefano’s shoulders and bury his face in Stefano’s hair. Even if it doesn’t smell like Myra’s anymore, it smells like home.

“I love you,” Stefano whispers against his neck, and Sebastian holds him tighter, because he will never get tired of hearing those words, of knowing that even after everything Stefano has been through he can still inspire those feelings in him.

Stefano’s lips are on his neck, soft and gentle, and Sebastian wonders what he’s done to deserve this, to have someone kiss him like this, to have someone love him after his life has fallen apart, after he’s lost Lily and Myra. He doesn’t deserve this- he is sure of that- but Stefano is giving it to him anyway, and Sebastian is whispering back how much he loves Stefano and how much he needs Stefano, and how he never wants him to leave.

There is a pause before Stefano murmurs an answer against his skin. “I will stay as long as you will let me. You are the only man I want to be with now.”

As much as Sebastian wants Stefano to stay with him, he feels a pang of guilt. Stefano’s life was changed so dramatically when he was still quite young, and there is so much of the world he simply hasn’t experienced. He desperately wants to be with Stefano, but he doesn’t want Stefano to feel like he has no other option.

“There are other men out there who are kind and who would treat you well,” he says, “men who aren’t so...broken.”

Stefano tightens his grip on Sebastian. “You are not broken,” he says. “And I am not interested in any of those other men. Only you.”

Sebastian pulls back a little so that he can look Stefano in the eye. “Haven’t you been with a lot of men though?” Sebastian presses. Stefano’s face falls, and Sebastian immediately regrets his words. “I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant...I guess I’m worried that I won’t be enough for you, that I can’t give you everything you deserve.”

Stefano smiles. “I have been with many men,” he says, “but you are the only one who is still here when I wake up.”

Sebastian opens his mouth to protest that there are lots of men who would be thrilled to wake up next to Stefano, but Stefano continues, “More importantly, you are the only man I ever  _ wanted _ to be there when I woke up. And that is more than enough for me.”

Sebastian feels a rush of warmth, of appreciation for everything Stefano has endured to be here with him, of love for the man he has become. He leans in to kiss Stefano, and Stefano kisses back with abandon, and they are most definitely done talking for the evening.


	9. Day 9- Sympathy for Sebastian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What if during their fight,Theodore just appears and just kicks Sebastian into the grenade (that Stefano sets during the fight) and Theodore orders Stefano to kill him, but when Stefano looks at Sebastian he sees himself when he lost his eye. So Stefano don't want to hurt him and he turns against Theodore and helps Sebastian to recover. And maybe he starts feeling something for Seb.
> 
> Requested by: shikix
> 
> Warnings: canon-typical violence, mild descriptions of gore

Sebastian is so close to death that Stefano can practically taste his blood when everything goes sideways. Sebastian has just set off a smoke grenade, which is more of an annoyance (and a threat to Stefano’s impeccably pressed suit) than a hazard. Stefano steps back, brushes himself off, and is preparing for a final attack when a familiar voice rings out just behind him.

“And what exactly is going on here?”

He whirls to see Theodore and curses under his breath. He was hoping to delay this interaction until he had spent some time savoring Sebastian’s death and the resulting work of art. Theodore will expect him to turn over the girl, and Stefano has no intention of doing so.

“Hey!” Sebastian shouts, charging out from behind one of the gallery walls. “Who the hell are you?”

Theodore doesn’t even look at Sebastian but simply raises his arm, flicks his hand lazily in Sebastian’s direction, and sends him hurtling backward into one of Stefano’s proximity mines, which up to this point Sebastian has been studiously avoiding.

Stefano jerks his eye away from Theodore and suddenly everything seems to be happening in slow motion- the explosion, the spray of shrapnel, Sebastian being flung into the opposite wall. Stefano’s heart is pounding, because he sees it overlayed with another memory- the shower of sand and the shouts of dying soldiers.

There are many things about the so called ‘human experience’ that Stefano does not understand, and subjective emotional reactions usually fall into that category, but in this moment, he feels everything that he felt when that grenade went off in the desert so many years ago- the pain, the fear, the smell of blood, the taste of sand, the knowledge that he had been irreversibly damaged in some way.

He is on the ground, even though that doesn’t make sense. The proximity mine was his own creation. It shouldn’t have been able to affect him, and even though he’s not injured he is very much affected. He has to get to Sebastian. Theodore, the girl- none of that matters right now.

He can’t find the strength to rise to his feet, so he stays low, crawling across the floor to Sebastian’s limp form. He remembers lying in the desert, calling for help, hoping against hope that someone was coming but fearing the worst. He was alone when he was injured...Sebastian isn’t.

Sebastian also isn’t looking very good as Stefano reaches him. His chest is rising and falling, but his breaths are shallow, irregular, and there are several large pieces of shrapnel protruding from his body. Stefano goes first to the packs on Sebastian’s belt, because he has seen Sebastian take things from them to heal himself.

He finds a syringe. He can’t be sure of its contents, but he has seen others like it around Union. Now he can only hope that this will be enough to help Sebastian, or at least that it won’t make his condition any worse.

He plunges the needle into Sebastian’s thigh, going right through his pants in his haste, and depresses the plunger. Almost immediately, Sebastian’s breathing seems to ease a little, and his eyes flutter open. His face registers alarm when he sees Stefano, and he fumbles on the ground around him for his gun, which is just out of reach.

“Wait, Sebastian,” Stefano says, placing a hand on the middle of his chest. “I am trying to help you.”

Sebastian blinks at him uncomprehendingly and wets his lips before he rasps, “Why?”

“Never mind that,” Stefano says, gently pressing down on Sebastian’s chest until he relaxes back to the floor. He doesn’t even know the answer to that question himself, so he certainly can’t explain it to Sebastian. Unfortunately Sebastian’s next question isn’t much easier to answer.

“Where’s Lily?” His voice is hardly more than a whisper.

“I don’t know,” Stefano answers truthfully. He can’t feel the girl’s power anymore, which means that Theodore has spirited her away, probably to his stronghold. At the very least, she isn’t here. “The man who was here- Father Theodore, he is called- must have taken her. He is the one who tasked me with finding her in the first place.”

Immediately, Sebastian is struggling to sit up again. “Have to...find her…” he gasps.

“We will,” Stefano says in his most soothing voice, hand still firmly on Sebastian’s chest. Sebastian is thrashing weakly, trying to dislodge him. He clearly doesn’t have the strength to put up much of a fight, but his determination is admirable. “But you are injured. Do you have any other first aid supplies?”

“In one of those pouches,” Sebastian says through gritted teeth, jerking his head at his utility belt.

Stefano goes through them and finds some bandage materials and hemostatic gauze, which he hopes will be enough to mitigate the worst of Sebastian’s injuries. “I am going to have to remove some of these larger pieces,” he says. He would rather not risk more bleeding, but if Sebastian is going to be up and moving around, he can’t have shrapnel sticking out of him.

“Okay,” Sebastian says, “just do it already.”

Stefano nods and gets to work. To Sebastian’s credit, he is still and quiet with the exception of a few stifled groans or reflexive flinches when Stefano is working in a particularly damaged area. Sebastian has been somewhat lucky in that he doesn’t have any damage to his major blood vessels or organs.

“There,” Stefano says after several minutes. “That is all I can do for the moment. How do you feel.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sebastian says, his voice sounding a little stronger already, “I have to go. I have to find Lily.” He struggles to his feet.

Stefano stands up as well, dusting off his trousers. “You mean  _ we _ have to find Lily.”

Sebastian fixes him with a hard stare, and the seconds tick by as Sebastian looks him up and down. Finally he gives a curt nod. “Let’s go.”


	10. Day 10- A Bad Case of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post-STEM: Stefano has been improving on Seb’s Stop-Killing-Everyone rule since they’ve escaped STEM until Seb gets a frantic phone call in the middle of the night. Someone’s died from a bad case of death and Stefano swears it was an accident. Totally an accident. Probably. I imagine this to be a funny or cute scenario but it’s up to you should you accept it.
> 
> Requested by: sebcastellanyes
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, mild gore, minor character death (handled in a very non-serious way)

“Hey, you,” Sebastian slurs into the phone. His voice is thick with sleep and his mind is fuzzy, but even through bleary eyes, he can see Stefano’s name on the incoming call screen.

“Sebastian, we have a problem at the gallery,” Stefano says tersely. Unfortunately the tension in his voice is lost on half-asleep Sebastian.

“What do you mean, ‘problem’?” He asks, because all of the problems he can think of that would come up at the gallery are pretty benign. Hopefully Stefano isn’t calling him in the middle of the night because he dropped his camera or something.

“There’s no time for that, Sebastian,” Stefano insists. “You need to get over here right now!”

It’s three o’clock in the morning, and as far as Sebastian is concerned this isn’t the time for anything but sleep. However, now that he is alert enough to detect it, there is an urgency in Stefano’s voice that he can’t ignore.

“Okay, okay,” he mutters. “I’m coming, but this had better be an actual emergency.”

The phone beeps, and Sebastian looks down to see that Stefano has hung up. He sighs and slides out of bed, fumbling around in the dark for his clothes.

  
  
  


Sebastian floors it all the way to the gallery, hoping he won’t be pulled over by one of his own colleagues, because that would be really embarrassing. He breathes a sigh of relief when he pulls into the parking lot, lets himself in, and hurries to Stefano’s office. The ‘problem’ Stefano referred to is immediately apparent.

“Jesus Christ!” Sebastian shouts in surprise. “What the hell happened here?” He gestures at the woman slumped over in the chair beside Stefano’s desk.

“Nothing!” Stefano says, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Nothing! She wanted a preview of the exhibit that is opening tomorrow, and I agreed, and then…” He waves his hand in the direction of the woman.

“And then what?” snaps Sebastian, because they are definitely missing a few steps here. “Is she…?”

He steps in and feels for a pulse, but finds none.

“Yes,” Stefano replies. “She collapsed while we were touring the exhibit, and I brought her back here.”

“Who is she?” Sebastian asks, already wondering what the police report on this incident is going to look like.

Stefano frowns. “You see, that is the problem-“

“No,” Sebastian interjects, “this is the problem.” He waves his hand at the woman’s body again. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Susan Phi,” Stefano replies, eye downcast. “She is an art critic.”

“What?” Sebastian snaps, because he knows that name. He has seen that name in Stefano’s files in Union, and he is sure that she and Stefano had a fairly antagonistic relationship even at that point.

“It’s not what you think,” Stefano says quickly.

“The hell it’s not!” Sebastian shoots back. “We had one rule when we got out of Union- one! Do you remember what that was?”

Stefano sighs deeply. “Don’t kill everyone,” he says.

“No!” Sebastian says, exasperated. “No, it was ‘Don’t kill _ anyone _!’”

“That was not my understanding,” Stefano says matter-of-factly. “And you must admit, those are two very different things.”

“You...you...you cannot get out of this using semantics!” Splutters Sebastian.

“That doesn’t matter,” Stefano replies, “because I didn’t kill her.”

Sebastian eyes him warily. He wants to believe Stefano- he really does- because things have been going so well since they escaped from STEM. There is a voice in the back of his mind telling him that of course it was too good to be true, but he desperately wants everything to be okay.

“So if I look at her body I’m not going to see a bunch of stab wounds?” He asks.

Stefano shuffles his feet uncomfortably. “Well...you see,” he begins. “The thing is…she sort of collapsed onto a knife.” His voice drops so low at the end of the sentence that Sebastian has to lean forward to hear him.

“She collapsed onto _ what _?”

Stefano sighs. “A knife.”

“Was it your knife by any chance?” Sebastian asks, because it is getting harder and harder for him to find an explanation for all of this that doesn’t implicate Stefano in a murder.

“Unfortunately it was,” Stefano replies.

Sebastian groans. Just to confirm his suspicions, he grabs a pen from Stefano’s desk and uses it to push aside one flap of the woman’s blazer. Underneath it, her white shirt is soaked with blood.

“It was an accident,” Stefano offers.

“No,” Sebastian says. “You don’t have accidents, and I find it really hard to believe that your harshest critic had an ‘accident’ while she was alone with you at your gallery. Surely you can understand that?”

“I know this doesn’t look very good,” Stefano concedes, “but it was an accident, and even if it wasn’t, I did not break the rule. I didn’t kill everyone.”

“Oh god damn it, not this again.” Sebastian rakes a hand through his hair. He has to think. They have to do something, because now he’s caught up in this too. He’s sort of taken on responsibility for Stefano since they got out of STEM, and up until this morning it’s been going really well.

And now they’ve got a body. It’s someone Stefano has motive to kill, and the manner of death has Stefano’s signature all over it.

“If it makes a difference,” Stefano offers. “She really was a very unpleasant individual.”

Sebastian is pretty sure that it doesn’t make a difference but they really only have one option.

He turns to Stefano. “Help me get her body to the car,” he says.

Stefano springs into action, looking absolutely delighted that the two of them are going to be disposing of a body together.

Susan Phi is quite a bit heavier than she looks, and as they are struggling down the stairs, Sebastian takes a moment to remind Stefano. “Okay, from now on, the rule is ‘Don’t kill _ anyone _.’”

“You take all the fun out of everything,” grumbles Stefano.


	11. Day 11- Bondage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: For the Sebastian/Stefano promptober, how about bondage? Preferably canon with plenty of smut??
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content, bondage, dubious consent

Sebastian strains against the ropes that bind his arms and legs, but there is no slack in them. He curses under his breath. It was one mistake, one momentary lapse in concentration, and look what it cost him. He let his anger get the better of him, saw the photographer on the other side of one of those blue boxes, and charged forward. Even before his arms and legs grew heavy and his movement slowed to a crawl, he knew he was in trouble.

And here he is- naked, furiously angry, and with each limb tied to one post of what can only be Stefano’s bed. The ropes are woven out of some soft material, so they aren’t too uncomfortable, but he is completely immobilized. There is a bright light shining down on him from above, almost as though he is in a studio or an operating theatre, and the rest of the room is shrouded in darkness.

The approaching footsteps do nothing to calm his nerves. “Hey!” He shouts, deciding to address the problem head-on. “What the fuck is this?”

Stefano steps into his field of vision. “This is my next masterpiece,” he says, sweeping his eye up and down Sebastian. “You are my next masterpiece.”

Sebastian’s mind is immediately filled with images of Stefano’s other ‘masterpieces’, and his horror must show on his face, because Stefano chuckles darkly and says, “Not in the way you think. I am more interested in your pleasure and your submission than your blood.”

Sebastian isn’t sure how to respond to that, but Stefano steps away for a moment and returns to the foot of the bed holding a camera on a tripod. “Still, it would be a shame not to document this,” he says, almost to himself, as he sets up the camera.

Sebastian renews his struggles, though it doesn’t do any good. The ropes hold fast, and Stefano seems to find his thrashing and grunting vaguely amusing.

“There’s no need to fight so hard,” Stefano says, taking a seat on the bed beside Sebastian. “You simply aren’t used to having someone take care of your needs. How long has it been since you were...intimate? Months? Years?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer, but he can feel his face burning hot. It has been a long time, and that’s embarrassing, but even more so is the fact that he is now having this conversation with Stefano of all people, that he is naked and panting with the exertion of trying to free himself and- god forbid- a tiny bit aroused by this situation.

“It’s alright,” Stefano says, placing a hand on Sebastian’s chest. “Just relax, and let me-“

“Fuck you!” snarls Sebastian, tensing up in an attempt to dislodge Stefano’s hand. If it’s submission Stefano wants, he is going to be sorely disappointed.

“That’s the spirit,” Stefano replies with a mysterious smile, and his hand begins to trail up and down Sebastian’s chest, even as Sebastian tries to twist away from his touch. The camera flashes, and Sebastian swears, because of course that asshole is going to take a bunch of pictures of him like this.

Sebastian’s heart is pounding under Stefano’s hand as he takes a nipple between his fingers, giving a hard pinch that draws a yelp from Sebastian’s throat, makes his body jerk up off the bed because it hurts, and it burns, and it’s making him hard. He tries to bring his legs together to hide the beginnings of his erection, but of course the ropes won’t allow him to do that. Stefano looks up at his face, which must be scarlet by now.

“Mmmm,” Stefano hums. “I can see how much you like that. The camera doesn’t lie after all.” He gives Sebastian’s nipple a rough tug. Pleasure and pain flare up, and Sebastian’s mouth opens in a silent scream. As if on cue, the camera flash goes off again. Fuck Stefano and fuck this.

Sebastian intends to say as much, but when he opens his mouth all that comes out is a wordless growl.

“It’s alright,” Stefano soothes, his hand moving down Sebastian’s body. “Express your anger...your fear...your excitement. I want to capture all of those feelings.” His fingers brush lightly over Sebastian’s cock, making it twitch, making Sebastian’s hips jerk up off the bed.

Stefano makes eye contact with him and gives him a little smirk. Sebastian can’t decide whether he wants to wipe that smirk off his face or beg him for more contact, a firmer hand on his cock. Now that Stefano has awakened that desire in him, he burns for it.

His body gives him away, arching up into Stefano’s hand, so that Stefano smiles and says, “There you go. There’s no use in pretending that you’re not enjoying it.” He presses down a little harder, and Sebastian can’t suppress a moan. The camera flashes again. “If you behave yourself and stop fighting me, I can make you feel so much better.”

His hand closes around Sebastian’s cock, giving a firm squeeze that promises the relief Sebastian so desperately needs. But it’s over much too quickly, and Stefano is releasing him to trail a finger along his length. The light touch after the stronger stimulation is maddening.

“What is it going to be, Sebastian?” Stefano asks, just barely brushing the place where Sebastian needs so much more.

Sebastian pants, struggles against his bonds, but he can’t move far enough to make any difference. Stefano’s touch is almost nonexistent, little more than a tickle, and Sebastian just can’t stand it anymore.

“Please,” he whispers.

“What’s that?”

Sebastian swallows hard. “Please,” he says, his voice a little stronger this time.

“Very good, Sebastian,” Stefano purrs. “You and I are going to have so much fun.”

Then his mouth is on Sebastian’s cock, swallowing it down in one motion. The hot slick pressure is overwhelming, and Sebastian is screaming out loud.

The camera flashes again, but this time it’s the farthest thing from Sebastian’s mind.


	12. Day 12- Catalyst Divergence (Chapter 16)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In the Catalyst universe, when Stefano gets Lily out of the house and falls into Theodore’s trap, what if Stefano had no other choice but to use Lily’s power to escape from Theodore? Like after he defeats Theodore, Sebastian finds that Stefano is lost due to using Lily’s power.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: canon typical violence, gore, canonical character death
> 
> Universe: Catalyst

“Come to me, Stefano,” Theodore says, extending his hand. His silky smooth voice caresses Stefano’s ears, tries to draw him in the way it has done before. “Give me the girl, and all will be forgiven. You will be my most trusted servant, and I will control all of Union.”

Stefano recoils, Lily still in his arms. After everything Theodore has done to him, after all he has been through with Sebastian, Theodore must be mad to think he would even consider going back. But Theodore is powerful, and Stefano alone is no match for him. He knows how to even the odds, how to make Theodore’s power trivial in comparison, but it is a tremendous risk, one that he might not come back from.

Lily sleeps in his arms, blissfully unaware that her fate is being decided all around her. He cannot give her up to Theodore. He cannot give himself up to Theodore. 

“No,” he says. His voice is much stronger than he feels. “No, I’ll never serve you and neither will she!”

He reaches out with his mind into the space between them. Her power, her influence over Union burns like a spotlight, and he takes it, shapes it, channels it to his own will. He feels her stir against him, just for a moment, but she doesn’t resist. She trusts him now. She doesn’t know what he is about to do. For a split second, he feels guilty, and then comes the surge of power.

The world around him is tinted blue, and the anticipation builds, rises as though he is on stage again, ready to unveil his next work. Union will be his canvas. Union will be his masterpiece, and Lily will be his brush. Nothing can stop him anymore.

“Stefano…”. The man in front of him raises his hand as though that will somehow protect him. He is weak, pathetic. He matters so little that for a moment Stefano wonders if it is even worth the effort to dispose of him, but a vague memory tugs at his mind, a memory of a time when he was less powerful, when he had no power at all, when he was at this man’s mercy.

He shifts Lily to one arm- her weight is insignificant now- and draws his knife. For once in his miserable life, Theodore has no words for him- no false praise, no empty promises, not even a plea for mercy. He looks like a different man. He looks afraid.

Stefano’s right eye burns hot and he drives the knife forward, plunging it into Theodore’s chest over and over again. He can smell the blood in the air, can feel the spatter hitting his face as the knife advances and retreats, almost without his conscious control.

Theodore doesn’t even resist. He sways on the spot and his mouth falls open. Stefano half expects him to spout some nonsense about his flock or the new world he is creating, but all that comes out is a river of blood. It pours down his chin, dark and thick and beautiful, and Stefano’s heart beats faster in response.

He hasn’t felt this powerful since...well, since the last time he had the Core under his control back at the theatre. That was before all of this nonsense, before he became weak, before he needed Sebastian. Now that he has regained his strength, he needs no one, and he will never be weak again. 

The Core is still in his arms. She has no will of her own anymore. She is a tool in his hands, and she is the most powerful tool in the world. He reaches out, experimentally prodding at the landscape around him, smoothing out the rumpled streets, restoring piles of rubble to buildings. It is easy- so easy- but it is also bland, unimportant. He will do much greater things.

There is one other powerful force in Union, one that he now knows to be the Core’s mother. But without the Core, she is powerless to stop them. He can feel her through the fabric of Union, growing weaker and weaker with every passing moment as she battles Sebastian.

Sebastian...the only other person who may pose a problem for him. Sebastian lacks the power and influence that Stefano and Myra and Theodore had over STEM, but he has still proven to be a formidable foe. And he will not understand. He will not see the possibilities of this situation, the artistic potential, the chance to shape a new world. He will stand in Stefano’s way, and Stefano will not let that happen.

Their final showdown is coming. Stefano tightens his grip on the Core and retreats to his gallery, bending the space around him so that he can move through it effortlessly.

The gallery is just as he left it. He is at a distinct advantage here. He made this place out of his memories and his dreams and his artistic vision. He is in total control here, and if Sebastian is foolish enough to take him on in his own domain, then Sebastian’s fate will be sealed.

He needs to place the Core somewhere safe though, somewhere Sebastian won’t come across her by accident. He takes her to his darkroom and is about to lay her down on one of his work tables when it occurs to him that she won’t be very comfortable there. It’s a strange thought, because the comfort of others is of very little concern to him, but he shrugs it off and conjures a piece of furniture for her- a big, overstuffed armchair.

He stares at it for a moment. It’s strange- not in his usual taste at all- but here it is, and he is short on time. He places the Core down in it, turns, and marches out of the darkroom, sealing it behind him with a wall of blue.

He can feel Myra’s presence fading, can feel Sebastian drawing near. It’s almost time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued (tomorrow)...


	13. Day 13- Haunted Stefano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Maybe when they are fighting each other Sebastian wants to save Stefano, and during their fight Sebastian is speaking to him and tries to calm him down, but Stefano is 'corrupted' like Joseph in the first game. Also he tries not to kill Seb because he can feel there is something wrong and tries to resist. In the end Sebastian can reach Stefano by telling him nice things about him even when he stabbed Sebastian many times during the fight. Maybe a little sweet and comfort scene.
> 
> *I ended up setting this one in the Catalyst universe because of how well it flowed from yesterday's prompt. Hope that's okay!
> 
> Requested by: I-qarus
> 
> Warnings: canon typical violence
> 
> Universe: Catalyst
> 
> Continued from yesterday's prompt.

Sebastian’s heart is pounding as he climbs the stairs of the gallery, taking them two at a time as adrenaline courses through him, but even then, he is convinced that this can’t be what it looks like. And it looks bad, looks like Stefano has seized Lily and hidden her away to use her power, but that can’t be right, not after everything they’ve been through together. Stefano must have brought Lily here to protect her from Myra and Theodore. Sebastian won’t let himself consider any other explanation.

“Stefano?”

“Ah, Sebastian,” Stefano says, stepping out from behind one of the red velvet curtains that separates the hallways and rooms in this strange, twisted place. “So glad you decided to join us.”

Sebastian’s breath catches in his throat at the sight, because the man before him bears so little resemblance to the Stefano he has come to know over the past several hours. The clothes are the same, but nothing else about him is recognizable. His features are twisted into a triumphant sneer, and even the scarring around his right eye is somehow more prominent than it has ever been before.

Behind his hair, Stefano’s eye glows blue so brightly that Sebastian can see it even down the hall. He barely has time to dive into a doorway before the blue light sweeps down the hall, stilling time inside it. Apparently Stefano no longer needs his camera to make art.

“Stefano,” he calls out. “Stefano, I’m here to help!”

He realizes too late that he’s given away his position. Stefano is on him in a second, faster than anyone should be able to move, but of course, this is Stefano, and Stefano is tapping into Lily’s power, and Sebastian is only just beginning to process what that means. Stefano shoves him back, pinning him against the wall and holding a knife to his throat.

“You can’t have her,” Stefano hisses. “You’ll never take her from me.”

“Stefano,” Sebastian murmurs, staying absolutely still so that he doesn’t accidentally press himself into the knife. “This isn’t about her. This is about you and me.”

It’s a lie of course. Everything is about Lily. Even being in Union in the first place is about Lily, but right now he needs to redirect Stefano’s attention. There is something of Stefano left in the man in front of him. There has to be.

Stefano isn’t displaying any visible reaction to his words, but he also hasn’t slit his throat yet, and Sebastian decides to take that as a good sign.

“Stefano,” he says, trying hard to make his voice gentle and soothing, the way he did when they were recovering in the safehouses. “I know you’re still in there. We were going to leave Union together- don’t you remember?”

Stefano’s voice is cold. “Leave? Why would I want to leave Union? This is my world, and no one will take it from me.” He bears down with the knife, and Sebastian feels a sharp, stinging pain as the blade pierces his skin, but that is nothing compared to the ache in his chest, because it hurts to see Stefano like this and it hurts to think that Stefano might be lost forever, that even if he somehow manages to escape it might be without Stefano.

“Please,” Sebastian gasps, “please, Stefano, you have to remember.”

Stefano’s face twitches, and the knife falters. It’s only for a moment, but it’s enough for Sebastian to get his hands in between them, to shove Stefano back away from him and get a little space to regroup. He dodges away from the wall, grabs the gun from his holster, and locks on to his target.

He hesitates. He doesn’t want to shoot Stefano. It’s only going to more firmly establish him as an enemy, and he is working so hard to convince Stefano that he isn’t. Besides, he isn’t sure he has the heart to pull the trigger.

Stefano laughs, and it is a dark, mirthless sound. “You are weak, Sebastian. That is why you cannot have her. You will do nothing with her power.” He surges forward, grabbing Sebastian by the front of his shirt. Sebastian is expecting to be lifted up off the floor, but instead there is a flash of blue, and his ears are filled with music.

It’s the same composition he has heard before in Stefano’s domain, the soaring strings that have served as the soundtrack for the last moments of so many lives...and now his. It’s not fair. It’s not fair that after all they’ve been through, after they’ve survived hoards of the Lost and the ghost woman and Theodore’s deceptions…

A memory stirs. He and Stefano have fought before, when Sebastian was under the influence of Theodore’s illusions. He remembers what Stefano did, what broke Theodore’s spell over him, and he knows what he has to do next.

His limbs feel heavy, as though he is suspended in molasses, but he grits his teeth and begins to raise his arm. His progress is painfully slow, and Stefano laughs again, cold and cruel. He raises his knife, eye still glowing an unearthly blue, and Sebastian is sure this is it.

He fights the sluggish movements of his limbs, forces his hand through the blue haze to Stefano’s face, so that his fingers just brush along his temple, beside his left eye.

Stefano shudders. “Sebastian?” he whispers.

Sebastian can’t find his voice, but he doesn’t have to, because the blue light in Stefano’s eye flickers and goes out, and suddenly the blue box is gone and they are both collapsing to the floor. He is in Stefano’s arms, halfway across his lap, and Stefano is shaking like a leaf.

Stefano's fingers trace the shallow wound on his throat. “My god, Sebastian,” he murmurs. “What have I done?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sebastian says. “You were strong enough to fight it, and you’re back now. Don’t leave me again, okay?”

“Never,” Stefano promises, and Sebastian believes him.


	14. Day 14- Soft Focus Divergence (Chapter 9)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What if Slade agreed to sell Stefano to Sebastian and Sebastian agreed to pay the price to get Stefano out from under Slade’s control?
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: mentions of drug use and prostitution, human trafficking, contains a spoiler for the Soft Focus main story
> 
> Universe: Soft Focus (Sebastian is a vice and narcotics investigator, Stefano is a sex worker, and Slade is Stefano’s pimp.)

“And what if I didn’t bring him back at all?”

Sebastian’s words hang in the air. Stefano’s eye is fixed on the floor, which is hard under his knees, but he is sure that Slade is sizing up Sebastian, trying to decide whether he means what he says or not.

“That would be a pretty hefty charge,” Slade says after a pause. “Probably something we’d negotiate up-front, if you knew you wanted someone…for that purpose.”

Sebastian’s hand twitches where it rests on Stefano’s head, but otherwise he keeps his composure. Stefano has to remind himself that this is new to Sebastian, that Sebastian doesn’t know just how common it is for escorts to leave this house and never return. Slade is a businessman after all. Everything- and everyone- here is for sale.

“Name your price,” Sebastian says.

Slade doesn’t speak, and Stefano chances a look up. Slade has taken up his ledger notebook. He jots something on it, tears out the page, and hands it to Sebastian.

“Done,” Sebastian says, taking his hand off of Stefano and reaching into his pocket.

Slade’s eyes get noticeably wider for a second before he turns to Stefano. “Go upstairs and get your things,” he says.

Stefano is on his feet in an instant, hurrying to obey. For once, it’s not just because he’s afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t. His hand shakes on the railing as he climbs the stairs. He still has a bit of a high going from a session earlier tonight with one of Slade’s clients, but even without the drugs, there is excitement running through him.

He pushes open the door to his small room and starts to gather his belongings. He has so little to his name- just some clothes and his sketchbook- that it all fits into one small bag.

He doesn’t know what Sebastian will ask of him, but whatever it is, he will do it. Sebastian has been very kind and polite to him so far, but Stefano doesn’t delude himself into thinking that will last. He’s had clients like this before, the ones who start out shy and unassuming, the ones who treat him like a lover rather than an object, the ones who change as soon as they get a taste of power, as soon as they realize that he can refuse them nothing.

Sebastian will be the same of course, but even so, he can’t be any more cruel than Slade and Riker. Stefano has suffered such indignities at their hands that he is more than willing to opt for the devil he doesn’t know than the one he does.

When he returns to the sitting room on the second floor, Slade has the smug look that he usually has when someone has just given him a great deal of money, and Sebastian’s face is pale and drawn.

“Alright then,” Slade says to Sebastian. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you. If you need any more product or if you’re looking for some...companionship in the future, you know where to find me.”

“Got it,” Sebastian says, and they shake hands.

Slade directs his attention to Stefano. “You behave yourself,” he cautions. He narrows his eyes. “He knows now. He can ruin you just as well as I can.”

His words hit Stefano like a bucket of cold water, leaving him reeling from the shock. He had no idea Slade would go this far, that Slade, in turning him over to Sebastian, would also turn over his trump card, the source of all of his power over Stefano.

“Hey,” Sebastian says quietly. He is standing in front of him with his hands on Stefano’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

He trails behind Sebastian on the way out of the house as though in a trance. He should be thrilled to leave this place, to leave these men, but instead he is afraid, not just of how much power Sebastian has over him now, but of what Sebastian must think of him. Sebastian is one of a very few good and decent men he knows, and Sebastian’s opinion of him does matter.

The car ride is silent. Sebastian has a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, and Stefano isn’t even paying attention to where they are going. It doesn’t matter. This is his new life.

When the car stops, he gets out and follows Sebastian to what must be his house. His hands are shaking, and he doesn’t know if it’s from the drugs or his fear. Sebastian closes the door behind them, and when he turns around, Stefano can see that he is shaking too. They stare at each other for a moment before Sebastian breaks the silence.

“He thinks I’m going to murder you. You know that, right?” He shakes his head slowly, face strained. “He just sold me your life.”

“Yes,” Stefano replies calmly, because this is the one thing about the situation that does make sense to him. “What did you think you were purchasing?”

“Your freedom,” Sebastian says with a heavy sigh. “The investigation’s over, and I couldn’t leave you there like that.”

“There is no freedom for me,” Stefano says. “Not when you know about Emily.” He is shaking harder now, and he fears his knees will buckle under him. He sways on the spot for a moment, but then Sebastian is stepping forward. Sebastian’s arms are around him, and he is being pulled firmly against Sebastian’s chest.

“It’s alright,” Sebastian murmurs very close to his ear. “We need to talk about that. We need to talk about a lot of things, but not right now. Right now you need to eat something and get some rest.”

Stefano allows himself to relax against Sebastian, to feel safe and protected and cared for, even if it’s just for a moment. This seems too good to be true, but everything about Sebastian seems too good to be true. Maybe- just maybe- things are actually going to change.


	15. Day 15- Hide and Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about a prompt about Stefano (reluctantly) being left to babysit Lily. He decides that they should play hide and seek at some point, because that's easy, right? Wrong. So wrong. Now that Lily is on her home turf, she's impossible to find. By the time that Sebastian gets back, Stefano is incredibly frustrated and (sort of, in his own way) asks Sebastian for help. Sebastian finds Lily immediately. Hilarity ensures.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language (thanks, Seb)
> 
> Universe: AU where Stefano makes it out of STEM but is still getting to know Sebastian and Lily

“Ready or not, here I come!” calls Stefano, opening his eye and standing up from the armchair where he’s been sitting and counting to one hundred. His words echo through the house. He pauses for a moment, just to see if he can hear Lily shifting around or laughing, but everything is quiet.

He was surprised Lily wanted to play hide and seek with him. It immediately takes him back to Union, where he has hazy, blue-tinted memories of hunting for Lily. He had thought it would be the same for her. He had thought she would be afraid, but then he had thought she would be afraid of him in general.

Lily is full of surprises, and so is her father. Stefano hadn’t expected Sebastian to trust him to watch Lily so quickly- or maybe ever- but when Sebastian got a call from work this afternoon he did it without even thinking. Stefano was the one who hesitated, both because babysitting doesn’t strike him as a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon and because deep down, he’s terrified of having that kind of responsibility for someone who is so important to Sebastian.

Stefano doesn’t understand this family or what he did to earn their trust, but he isn’t about to give up one of the precious few good things that have happened to him in his life. So he sets out to look for Lily. He’s pretty sure he heard her footsteps on the stairs, but he starts on the first floor just to make sure he doesn’t find her too quickly. He walks from room to room, noisily opening and closing closets and cabinets, but of course there’s no Lily.

Once he is sure that enough time has elapsed that Lily will feel accomplished about her hiding skills, he climbs the stairs and begins searching the second floor. He checks in closets, under beds, behind doors, even behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. No Lily.

He frowns. There must be somewhere he’s overlooked. He goes through the second floor again, this time being extra-careful to take a good look at any space large enough to conceal a person. Still no Lily.

Maybe he was wrong about hearing her come upstairs. At any rate, she’s clearly not here now, and his search of the downstairs wasn’t really that thorough. He checks the first floor again, but he’s no more successful than the last time, and there’s still no Lily.

He’s starting to get a little nervous now, but surely he can’t have actually lost Lily during a simple game of hide and seek. They agreed that outside was off-limits, so Lily has to be in the house somewhere, but he can’t imagine where she could be. He makes another pass through the house, even crouching down a little bit to try to see the environment from Lily’s perspective, but he still can’t find her.

“Lily?” he calls, but of course, Lily doesn’t answer, because as she informed him before they started, the rules of hide and seek don’t allow outside help. At the time, Stefano thought it was laughable that he might need outside help to find Lily in an average-size house, but now he is starting to wonder if he’s ever going to find her.

Even more than that, he wonders what Sebastian will say if he comes home and Lily is missing, wonders how he can possibly explain what happened. He goes through the house again, panic rising up inside him as, once again, there is no trace of Lily. This is bad. Sebastian is going to come home and find Lily missing, and then he is never going to trust Stefano again.

As if on cue, the front door opens and Sebastian walks in. “Hey,” he says with a nod. “Are you guys having fun?”

Stefano stares at him, shell-shocked, because he thinks it’s pretty obvious from his face that he’s not having fun. He has no idea whether Lily is having fun or not.

“Holy shit,” Sebastian says when he gets a closer look at Stefano’s face. “What happened?”

Stefano swallows hard. “Lily wanted to play hide and seek,” he says. “So she went off to hide and now…”

“Now you can’t find her,” Sebastian supplies, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

“Yes, that’s it exactly,” Stefano says, curious as to why Sebastian seems to be more amused than angry. “Aren’t you upset with me?”

“No,” Sebastian replies. “Lily’s a master of hide and seek. She does this to me all the time.” He strokes his beard with one hand. “We just need to figure out which one of her tricks she’s up to this time.”

“Good luck with that,” Stefano says. “I’ve already looked everywhere.”

“And where were you when you were counting?” Sebastian asks.

“Sitting right there.” Stefano nods to the armchair in the corner of the living room.

“Aha!” Sebastian exclaims theatrically, striding over to the chair and leaning over it to look into the space between the chair and the wall. “Found you!”

“Dad!” Lily protests as she stands up from behind the chair. “You weren’t supposed to help!”

“And you weren’t supposed to terrify your babysitters by playing hide and seek anymore,” Sebastian says.

“How did you even get back there while I was sitting in the chair?” Stefano asks, because it seems like the sort of thing he would have noticed.

“That’s for me to know and you to never, ever find out,” Lily says triumphantly.

“She’s very stealthy,” Sebastian says. “And she always hides in the place you’d never think to look.”

“She certainly did this time,” Stefano observes.

Lily looks at him imploringly. “Can we play again Mr. Valentini?”

“Again?” Stefano repeats in disbelief. “I’m not sure my heart can take another round.”

Sebastian winks at him. “You’d better get ready then. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot more of you if Lily has anything to say about it.”


	16. Day 16- Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Established SteSeb relationship where Seb gets a really high fever and Stefano takes care of him. Except Seb's being cutely docile and needy for affection/attention (unlike the usual Seb) and Stefano is incredibly amused. It would be super cute to read about how he reacts to Stefano's touches and how Stefano is just enjoying the whole situation.
> 
> Requested by: miyukichronicles
> 
> Warnings: none
> 
> Universe: AU with established SteSeb relationship (post-STEM)

It’s about four o’clock in the morning when Stefano’s eye snaps open. The first thing he realizes, with a bit of a smile, is that Sebastian’s arms are wrapped around him and Sebastian is burrowing his face into the crook of Stefano’s neck and shoulder. The second thing he notices is that Sebastian’s body is as hot as a furnace.

Sebastian’s body temperature is usually a bit warmer than his own, which is lovely on cold winter nights when they are snuggled under the blankets, but the amount of heat he is putting out now is far beyond that, and it’s enough to cause Stefano concern.

“Sebastian?” He says quietly, voice hoarse from sleep.

“Hi,” Sebastian murmurs as he nuzzles his way farther into Stefano’s neck. “I’m so glad you woke up. I was getting lonely.”

Stefano almost laughs at the idea of Sebastian getting lonely when the two of them are not even one millimeter apart, but there is a tremble in Sebastian’s voice, a vulnerability that tells him that something isn’t right. This is more than just Sebastian’s normal affinity for physical contact; this is serious.

“Do you feel alright?” Stefano asks, running his hands up Sebastian’s back.

Sebastian shivers, then shakes his head ‘no’. Stefano can feel it, because Sebastian’s face is still pressed against him. Apparently Sebastian isn’t going to volunteer any more information though.

“How do you feel?” Stefano prompts.

Sebastian seems to be considering for a moment before he replies, “Sometimes hot, sometimes cold.”

Stefano manages to work one of his hands into a position where he can feel Sebastian’s face, though it isn’t easy because Sebastian refuses to be dissuaded from burrowing into him. As he expected, Sebastian’s face is quite warm.

“You’re running a fever,” Stefano says, rubbing Sebastian’s back with his other hand. “Let me get you a cold compress.”

He starts to move away, intending to get up out of bed, but Sebastian’s grip on him tightens so that he isn’t able to move more than a few inches.

“Don’t leave me,” Sebastian’s voice is muffled by Stefano’s neck and shoulder but he sounds genuinely distressed by the prospect of Stefano leaving. It’s so unlike Sebastian, who is usually independent and self-assured almost to a fault.

“Shhh,” Stefano soothes. “I’ll come right back. We need to get you cooled down.” He tries to move again, but Sebastian redoubles his efforts to pin him. Stefano is no pushover, but Sebastian outweighs him by almost thirty pounds, and besides, Stefano isn’t going to struggle very hard against someone who is obviously ill.

“Don’t need to cool down,” Sebastian mutters against his neck. “Just need to cuddle.”

Stefano is dying to point out that if cuddling had any healing properties at all, neither one of them would ever get sick, considering how openly affectionate Sebastian is at every opportunity. He relaxes, resigning himself to the fact that he is apparently not going to be getting up anytime soon. Instead, he lets his mind wander as his hand makes slow circles on Sebastian’s back.

“That’s my favorite song,” Sebastian sighs a few minutes later.

“Hmmm?” Stefano says, before he realizes that he has, in fact, been singing quietly. It’s an old Italian lullaby that his mother used to sing to him and his brothers at bedtime. “Have you even heard that song before?”

“No,” Sebastian replies, “but it’s my favorite.”

Stefano stifles a snort of laughter. Regular Sebastian says what is on his mind most of the time anyway, but feverish Sebastian has no filter at all.

“Can you sing some more?” Sebastian asks in a small voice.

“Of course,” Stefano says, and he goes back to singing and rubbing Sebastian’s back for a few more minutes. Sebastian seems to be settling down, though Stefano is still concerned about how warm his skin is.

“Is Joseph here?” Sebastian asks, seemingly out of nowhere. “Joseph always knew what to do.”

“No,” Stefano replies, slightly annoyed, because he also knows what to do- Sebastian just isn’t letting him do it. He knows about Joseph of course, and he knows how important Joseph was to Sebastian, so he supposes it sort of makes sense that this needy, vulnerable Sebastian would be drawn to something familiar. “Joseph isn’t here, Sebastian. I don’t know where he is.”

“Oh,” Sebastian says. “That’s too bad. I think you’d like him.”

“I’d like it if you’d let me go and get you a cold compress,” Stefano points out.

Sebastian is quiet for a moment. “And that would make you happy?” he says, and his tone is so serious it almost makes Stefano laugh again.

“Yes.”

“And you’ll come back?”

“Yes, of course,” Stefano replies, wondering where exactly Sebastian thinks he’s going to go at four in the morning.

Sebastian sighs and loosens his grip. “Okay, but you’d better come back.”

“I promise I will,” Stefano says. It only takes him two minutes to go downstairs and get a cold compress, but Sebastian seems to be overjoyed to see him when he returns to the bedroom.

They settle in again with Sebastian draped over Stefano and the compress resting on the back of Sebastian’s neck. Hopefully this will let his fever start to come down, although he must admit that feverish Sebastian is rather entertaining.

Stefano wraps his arms around Sebastian and gives him a squeeze. Sebastian hums his approval and tries to snuggle closer, if that’s even possible at this point. Stefano is quickly becoming uncomfortably warm, but he’s not about to deny Sebastian comfort when he’s not feeling well. “Just relax,” he murmurs into Sebastian’s hair. “You’ll feel better soon.”

“I feel better already,” Sebastian says. “You healed me.”

Stefano smiles, because even for Sebastian, this is fairly ridiculous. “How exactly did I ‘heal’ you?” he asks.

“With cuddling,” Sebastian says, as though this should be obvious to anyone. “But I’m not totally healed yet, so we probably shouldn’t stop.”

“Indeed,” Stefano agrees. “We wouldn’t want you to suffer a relapse.”


	17. Day 17- Protecting Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: When Seb enters STEM and finds Stefano's first victim, Stefano is watching him and thinking about how Seb will be his art. Time goes by, and when Seb is running from the Guardian and Stefano appears to throw the knife, he misses. Seb falls so that the Guardian has a chance to kill him, but he is not ready yet to be art, so Stefano has no other choice but to save his art.
> 
> Requested by: shikix
> 
> Warnings: canon typical violence, descriptions of gore
> 
> Universe: canon AU

Stefano takes note of the man from the moment he sets foot in Union. There is something different about him, something compelling, and Stefano can’t immediately determine what it is. Fortunately, Stefano can afford to be patient. There is a proper time for everything.

He watches this man investigate the remains of the Mobius team leader. William Baker is perfectly preserved right down to the fragments of his brain that are shooting out the back of his skull in an endless loop along with the bullet from Stefano’s gun, memorialized forever on film and in the landscape of Union. It is so perfectly composed, so elegantly simple that Stefano shivers with pleasure when he looks upon it himself. He can only hope that this man will appreciate it even a fraction as much as it deserves.

The man tentatively reaches out to touch the edge of the frame. Stefano doesn’t mind; his art was made to be seen, and this man can’t do anything to harm his creation anyway. Stefano watches as he steps inside and takes a closer look at Baker. When he exits the box, his face may be a shade paler, but his step never falters.

The man approaches the door he entered through, and Stefano chuckles to himself as he turns the key in the lock. It is not time for this man to leave his domain. Stefano, and only Stefano, can make that decision, and he is not finished with him yet.

  
  
  
  


He knows the man is watching him in the gallery when he uses his knife to dispatch another Union citizen. That man is nothing to him, merely a bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Stefano finishes him with a single knife strike, a clean stab to the gut. He’s not even worthy of being art, but it’s not for him that Stefano pulls out the camera. It’s not even for himself. It’s for the other man, the one crouching behind the couch- a threat...or perhaps a promise.

Stefano leaves the man suspended in the frame and strolls toward the door. He can practically smell the fear radiating from the other man, can hear his heart rate accelerating as he draws level with him. He could ‘find’ him now. He could kill him now. But now is not the time.

  
  
  
  


He checks in on this man as he continues to make his way through the various rooms of the gallery, and it begins to dawn on Stefano why he is different. He is not wandering the halls at random like so many lost citizens of Union. He moves with a purpose, something drives him, and in a town where the day-to-day life is calculated to be perfect right down to the weather, that is a rare thing. He will make a much more interesting specimen than these other shells of men that roam Union.

  
  
  
  


He manages to snap the man’s picture for the first time from behind a mirror in the basement of the gallery. It’s a spur of the moment decision, really. It is certainly not the last picture he will take of this man, and it’s little more than a candid snapshot, but the look on his face, the look in his eyes as he peered forward into the darkness, searching, was too tempting. This man is made up of raw, real emotions, not the saccharine artificiality of Union, and that emotion, that passion, is what Stefano craves.

He doesn’t intend to harm the man when he sets the Guardian on him, but he does want to see him run, to see him run and fight and struggle to survive. The chase thrills him, holds his interest in a way that nothing has for a long time, but he realizes quickly that the man is running because he has no other option. If he had a weapon or some way to fight back, then Stefano would be able to see so much more- rage and pain and the terrible stress of having to make life and death decisions.

Stefano sees his opportunity when the man is running through his darkroom. He steps into the room and tosses the knife. The man startles and fumbles with it for a moment before he loses his footing and the knife clatters to the floor. The Guardian raises her saw blade arm, and the man looks up at her in terror, raising his own arm to shield himself.

This isn’t right at all. This man can’t die now, not like this, not in an instant without the chance to be memorialized as art.

Stefano pulls out his camera and clicks the shutter, encasing both the man and the Guardian in the flash of blue light it produces. Their movement slows dramatically, so that even as the saw blade is descending, Stefano is able to walk casually into the blue box, grab the man by the back of his shirt, and drag him out of it.

Even when the man should technically be able to move, he is frozen for a moment, maybe paralyzed from shock. Stefano releases his shirt, grabs his hand, and pulls him to his feet.

The man seems to have finally found his voice. “Who the hell are you?”

Stefano draws himself up to his full height and puffs out his chest. “I am Stefano Valentini, and in time you will be my art.”

He is gone before the man can respond, shifting effortlessly into the subspace of Union. The man turns and dashes away from the Guardian and through the door ahead. This door leads to safety, or relative safety at least. There is little in Union that is truly safe anymore, but there is much that is thrilling and beautiful, and Stefano can’t wait to see how this man will handle the challenges ahead.

He will become art, but for the moment Stefano watches and waits. He has all the time in the world.


	18. Day 18- Stefano vs. Joseph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pre-established canon SteSeb relationship but Joseph comes back and wants Seb back. Drama with both of them possessive of Seb; Stefano and Joseph are both tops. Stefano isn't going to lose to Joseph easily though, and Seb has trouble choosing between them.
> 
> Requested by: miyukichronicles
> 
> Warnings: explicit sexual content, love triangle
> 
> Universe: post-STEM AU with established SteSeb relationship

The joy Sebastian feels when he opens the front door to find Joseph standing there is only matched by how incredibly awkward it is when Stefano peers around him and asks, “Who is it, my love?”

Sebastian turns to look at Stefano, then back at Joseph, and then up at the sky in hopes that someone else will appear and somehow resolve this whole situation, but apparently that’s going to be up to him.

“This is Joseph,” he begins. Then, gesturing behind him, he adds, “And this is Stefano.”

Neither Joseph nor Stefano makes any move to shake hands or further introduce himself to the other. They simply glare at each other over Sebastian’s shoulder.

“I think we all need to sit down and talk,” Sebastian says, even though he can’t see how that’s going to make things any better.

“Indeed,” Stefano observes.

  
  
  
  


The next two weeks are tense. Joseph is staying with them, because of course Joseph has nowhere else to go, and even though Stefano grudgingly agreed to this arrangement, neither one of them seems happy about it. In fact, they seem more like two stags competing to impress a potential mate.

When the three of them are in the same room, Stefano takes every opportunity to touch Sebastian, ruffling his hair, kissing him on the cheek, or wrapping an arm around him, all the while staring Joseph down as though daring him to voice an objection. While it is certainly pleasant to be receiving so much physical affection from Stefano, Sebastian can’t help but notice that it seems to be more for Joseph’s benefit than his own.

For his part, Joseph tells stories that highlight the little details about Sebastian that only he knows and the special moments they shared back before all of this STEM business happened. It makes Sebastian smile, because no one knows him like Joseph does. He was a different man when he and Joseph were together, maybe a happier man, and part of him longs to return to that time.

  
  
  
  


Stefano makes his move one day when Joseph is out running errands. Sebastian is sitting at his desk looking over some of his investigative notes, when his vision is obscured by something he realizes almost immediately is one of Stefano’s scarves.

“Don’t move,” Stefano purrs in his ear. “I so rarely get you all to myself anymore, and I intend to take full advantage…”

Sebastian’s breath catches in his throat as Stefano secures the scarf around his head, and his hands grip the edge of the desk, his work forgotten as he gives himself over to Stefano. He drifts in the darkness, pushed and pulled and shaped by Stefano’s voice in his ear and Stefano’s mouth on his cock and Stefano’s fingers inside him.

Stefano is every inch the artist, passionate and controlling as he works Sebastian’s body over in increasingly pleasurable ways, and by the time Stefano is buried inside him there are tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes.

“You’re mine,” Stefano growls as he fucks him, pounding into him relentlessly, driving his arousal to new heights with every thrust.

“I’m yours,” Sebastian gasps out, because it’s true. He belongs to Stefano. He has ever since they escaped from Union.

“Then come for me,” Stefano commands him, and Sebastian can only obey.

  
  
  
  


Joseph launches a counterattack just a few days later while Stefano is busy at the gallery.

Sebastian is sitting on the couch reading the newspaper when suddenly Joseph’s arms are around his shoulders and Joseph’s mouth is on his neck, searing hot and latched on to that perfect spot where he likes it the most.

“Joseph! What are you-?” he starts to say, but then Joseph’s hand is clamped over his mouth.

“You were mine first,” Joseph says, voice low and dangerous.

Sebastian is torn for a moment, but he nods, because he can’t argue with that. He was Joseph’s long before he ever met Stefano.

“You’ll always be mine,” Joseph says, and the certainty, the raw power in his voice makes Sebastian shiver. He nods again. In some way he will always be Joseph’s.

One of Joseph’s hands stays over his mouth while the other moves down his body to grope him, squeeze him through his pants. Joseph knows exactly how to touch him, because Joseph has had years to practice, and soon he is whimpering and squirming under Joseph’s touch.

Joseph does take pity on him eventually, and when Sebastian is bent over the couch with Joseph deep inside him, claiming him, it feels like he has finally come home after so many years. Giving himself over to Joseph feels so right and so natural, and it isn’t until he has come down from a powerful climax that he fully appreciates what a predicament he is in.

  
  
  
  


The next few days are pure torture for Sebastian, because he loves both of these men, and he wants both of these men, and he honestly has no idea how he is supposed to decide between them. He is pacing the living room one night, hoping for a flash of inspiration when he receives a text message from Stefano.

_ Come to bed. _

It’s clearly an order, and one that Sebastian can’t ignore. He climbs the stairs and enters the bedroom to see Stefano seated on the bed.

“I’m sorry-” Sebastian begins, but Stefano cuts him off with a wave of his hand.

“I know this has been difficult for you,” he says, “and I am not saying that I am prepared to share you with Joseph, exactly…”

The bedroom door closes behind Sebastian, and he whirls around to see Joseph standing in front of it.

“...but we can make things a lot more interesting,” Joseph finishes.

Sebastian glances back and forth between them in disbelief. The tension is still there, but now it takes the form of raw sexual energy. Sebastian feels like a gazelle trapped between two lions. After that, things get a lot more interesting.


	19. Day 19- Mobius Agents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steseb as Mobius agents in a Canon/AU verse. Sebastian has had his memories wiped/replaced by the Administrator, and Stefano is tasked to "train him". Stefano takes advantage of the situation (smut if possible).
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content, dubious consent (manipulation/alcohol involved)
> 
> Universe: Canon AU

Stefano is in a foul mood when the higher-ups tell him he has a new agent to train. He is quite capable of carrying out his own assignments, and Mobius’ new recruits often turn out to be dead weight. So he has already decided that this task will be a spectacular waste of his time...until he sees the new recruit.

The man is older than he was expecting and handsome, if a little rough around the edges- exactly the way Stefano likes them. He is seated on his bunk, looking slightly dazed, but he lifts his head when Stefano enters the room.

“Good morning,” Stefano says brusquely, extending his hand. “I am Stefano Valentini.”

The man takes his hand and shakes it, and Stefano can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to recall his own name. Stefano waits patiently. If Mobius’ memory-wiping techniques have a flaw, it is that they can be a bit too thorough.

“Sebastian,” the man says finally, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. “Sebastian Castellanos.” The smile is gone just as quickly as it appeared, replaced with a look of consternation. “Where are we? I can’t remember how I got here.”

“No matter,” Stefano replies, releasing Sebastian’s hand. “You were selected for recruitment by an elite security task force. I’ll be in charge of training you.”

“Okay…” Sebastian says. He doesn’t look totally convinced yet, but Stefano can tell that the words resonate with him. He probably has a military or law enforcement background, the kind of man who is used to following orders, and that piques Stefano’s interest. He can work with this.

  
  
  


Their first trip to STEM is in one of the training engines. It’s much easier to teach the mechanics of the system in a world that isn’t full of interference from too many minds. Of course, his and Sebastian’s are still in there, and as Sebastian’s is a blank slate, Stefano’s mind controls the environment.

Sebastian looks around the gallery with interest, and Stefano sighs. Sebastian may be more interesting than his previous trainees, but he is just as naive.

He waits until Sebastian is looking up at the ceiling before he exerts his will, twists the world around them, and tears the roof of the gallery open. The Aperture looms above them, peering down as it waits for further direction.

Stefano doesn’t give it though, he closes the roof again and looks over at Sebastian. Sebastian has adopted a defensive posture with both hands raised in front of him, but he isn’t cowering or running, which is more than Stefano can say for some of the recruits.

Sebastian turns to him, eyes wide. “What the fuck was that?”

“That was your first lesson, Sebastian,” Stefano says. “In this world, there are no rules except the ones you impose on yourself.” It’s not technically correct, but he can explain about the Core later. At the moment, Sebastian needs to learn to manipulate the world around him.

“Did you do that?”

Stefano smiles. Maybe Sebastian is smarter than he looks. “Yes,” he replies. “And you could too...if you were properly motivated.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian asks.

Stefano makes a sweeping gesture with his hand, and Sebastian’s gaze shifts to the perimeter of the room which is now lined with enemies. They are generic, faceless shapes armed with bats and knives and broken bottles, but they have the desired effect.

“Shit,” Sebastian groans. “What the hell are we going to do?”

“You tell me,” Stefano says. “What do you need to deal with this situation?”

“A gun,” Sebastian answers immediately. His adrenaline is clearly doing its job, because a handgun appears on the ground between them.

“Like that one?” Stefano prompts.

Sebastian looks down at the gun. “No,” he says quickly, eyes darting between the gun and the enemies. “Something stronger.”

The handgun flickers, changes shape until it resembles something from Stefano’s military days, an assault rifle.

Sebastian blinks in surprise. “Did I do that?”

“You did,” Stefano replies. “And now you’d better do something else.” He nods to the enemies, who are slowly advancing.

Sebastian’s face splits into a wide grin as he picks up the assault rifle. Apparently Stefano’s instincts about him were correct, and this is well within his comfort zone. He opens fire, and Stefano steps behind him to avoid stray rounds, because Sebastian strikes him as more enthusiastic than meticulous about his shooting.

He makes short work of the shadow enemies, then turns to Stefano, looking elated. “You know what I need now?” he asks.

“What?”

“A stiff drink.”

Stefano smirks. “You know what to do then.”

  
  
  


It’s not part of the training program, and it’s probably not even a particularly good idea, but soon they are both seated on one of the gallery’s leather sofas sipping Sebastian’s drink of choice, which unfortunately is whiskey. It is bracingly strong, and not at all to Stefano’s liking, but it’s also not real, so he supposes there’s no harm in it.

Sebastian hasn’t figured out that the ‘alcohol’ doesn’t affect him here, and soon he is relaxed and laughing, leaning closer and closer to Stefano until their shoulders are almost touching.

“Hey, Stefano?” he says after a few seconds of contemplative silence.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you...for teaching me, I mean.” Sebastian’s face is earnest, and Stefano sees his opportunity.

“There is a way you can thank me, you know,” he says, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian.

“How…?” Sebastian’s brow creases in confusion, and Stefano heaves a sigh.

“Don’t be such a boy scout,” he says, gesturing at the floor in front of him. “On your knees.”

Sebastian’s eyes go wide, and he glances down at Stefano’s lap before unconsciously wetting his lips. Seconds later, he’s kneeling between Stefano’s legs with Stefano’s cock in his mouth and Stefano’s hand fisted in his hair. 

Stefano groans as Sebastian swallows him down. Maybe this training detail isn’t such a waste of time after all.


	20. Day 20- Film Camera (Soft Focus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Soft Focus; post-story, Sebastian gives Stefano an old film camera.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: none
> 
> Universe: Soft Focus

Stefano can tell something is going on the moment Sebastian walks through the front door. He is carrying a small package, and even though there is a smile on his face, he isn’t quite meeting Stefano’s eye. He turns to lock the door behind him and tosses his keys onto the table beside it.

“Hi,” he says, finally looking at Stefano. His expression is guarded.

“Hi,” Stefano says back, swinging his legs down to the floor from where they’ve been resting on the sofa. He rarely leaves the house, even though Sebastian always invites him along.

It’s not just the looming threat of Mobius that keeps him inside. Stefano hasn’t felt like himself since the STEM incident, which is strange, because now that he is free of Slade and Riker, he should be able to finally be himself without fear. And yet, he simply can’t bring himself to feel much of anything.

What he does feel sometimes is guilt, because Sebastian is such a kind, caring man, and Sebastian has given him so much, and the malaise he is stuck in seems like a very poor way to repay Sebastian for everything he has done. Sebastian has made it clear over and over again that he expects nothing from Stefano, but Stefano feels that he should at least appear to be grateful for Sebastian’s kindness. And he is grateful of course, but he knows he could be doing a much better job of showing it.

“Where have you been?” Stefano asks, mainly to end the awkward silence and make a passable attempt at conversation.

“Just running some errands,” Sebastian says. He is shifting uncomfortably on his feet now, and Stefano is starting to feel genuinely curious about what is causing his unusual behavior.

Luckily Sebastian doesn’t keep him waiting. “I...um...I got you something,” he says, cautiously stepping in closer so that he can sit down on the couch beside Stefano. There is a moment of indecision on his face, but then he thrusts the package into Stefano’s hands.

“I don’t know if you’re going to love it or hate,” Sebastian confesses, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck the way he does when he’s nervous.

Stefano doesn’t know either, but love or hate would be preferable to the nothing he feels most of the time, so he turns his attention to the package, carefully opening it and reaching inside.

He knows what it is the moment his fingers touch the surface, and he freezes, because even that small touch brings back a rush of memories. He remembers fighting his way through STEM, and he remembers a time long before that, when he was still young and innocent, before he gave himself up to Slade. He remembers art. He remembers freedom. He remembers Emily.

There is a part of him that is afraid to pick it up, that wonders if it will somehow change him if he does. But that’s ridiculous. It’s only an object. It can’t change who he is, and besides, there is also something enticing about it, and as he runs his fingers across it a sort of energy flows through him, the promise of creation. It has been so long since he created anything.

He takes it out and holds it in his hands. As he knew already, it’s a film camera. This sort of thing might even be considered an antique these days when most people have switched to digital, but it has always been Stefano’s preference to shoot on film. The chemical process speaks to him, captures his vision in a way that pixels never will, and this particular camera seems to be in perfect condition.

“Where did you even find this?” he asks, bewildered.

“At a yard sale,” Sebastian says, “if you can believe that.” He laughs nervously. “I don’t even know if it works.”

“It does,” replies Stefano, who is currently examining the inner workings of the camera. He isn’t sure where one even finds this kind of film nowadays, but if he can get his hands on some there would be nothing stopping him from using the camera, from creating art again.

He closes the back and turns it over in his hands to examine the lens. It’s also perfect, free of scratches or cracks. Stefano raises it to his face, yearning for just a moment to see the world through it. Of course, he’s going to need to actually take a photograph to get a good look, but even holding the camera in his hands feel right somehow. He lowers it back down to his lap.

“Look,” Sebastian says, and Stefano realizes he’s been silent for quite a while. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have done this. I just thought that maybe if you could-”

“Sebastian.” Stefano shifts the camera to one hand, placing the other on Sebastian’s knee to cut him off before he gets any further. “I love it.”

There is a smile spreading across his face, a real one- not the one he puts on sometimes to try to convince Sebastian that he’s doing alright-, and as he watches the worry melt off Sebastian’s face to be replaced by relief, he feels much more than alright.

He leans in to press his lips to Sebastian’s, trying to put all of the feelings that are swirling around inside him into the kiss, because there is far too much to convey in words. Sebastian must understand, because he is kissing back with just as much passion, and Stefano is feeling- really feeling- for the first time in quite a while.

It’s not even just the camera; it’s the realization that Sebastian did this for him, that Sebastian knows him so well, cares about him so much. It’s hard for him to believe that he could be worthy of this, but it’s a good feeling all the same.

“Thank you,” he whispers when their lips part.

He’s already starting to feel a little more like himself.


	21. Day 21- Wedding Photographer Stefano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post TEW2 and Stefano wasn't actually killed. Sebastian is at a work acquaintance's wedding, and Stefano is the wedding photographer. Sebastian has many questions.
> 
> Requested by: ftwyn
> 
> Warnings: none
> 
> Universe: Post-Union AU where Stefano made it out of STEM

The ceremony isn’t particularly interesting, so it’s no surprise that Sebastian’s mind starts to wander.

At first he takes little notice of the wedding photographer, and indeed, the man isn’t doing anything to draw attention to himself- quite the opposite in fact. He moves easily among the guests, taking a few shots from one location before gliding effortlessly to another.

It’s all happening in the periphery of Sebastian’s vision, only registering in the back of his mind, but it’s somehow familiar. He’s seen someone move like that before. He’s seen the neatly tailored suit, the graceful swoop of the man’s hair. It’s nagging at him, but he tries to put it out of his mind and focus on the ceremony. Jacobs is more of a work colleague than a close friend, but he was kind enough to invite Sebastian to his wedding, and the least Sebastian can do is pay attention. Besides, the reception has an open bar.

  
  
  
  


Sebastian is well into his first drink when someone takes a seat beside him at the bar. He doesn’t pay much attention at first, but then the man speaks.

“Hello, Sebastian.”

Sebastian turns, expecting to see someone from work, and nearly drops his drink.

“Stefano?” he says in disbelief, aware that his mouth is probably hanging open. Stefano died in Union. He saw Stefano die in Union. He is the one who killed Stefano, because Stefano kidnapped Lily. And now Stefano is casually sitting next to him at a bar at his wedding reception, posture relaxed and camera held loosely in one hand.

“The very same,” Stefano says with a mysterious smile. “I hadn’t expected to see you again, but this is quite a pleasant surprise.”

“What are you doing here?” Sebastian asks. His mind is still reeling with what he is seeing and what that means about STEM and Mobius.

“Working,” Stefano says, gesturing to the camera as though it should be obvious what he’s doing. “This may not be the most intellectually stimulating project, but it allows me to finance more satisfying ventures.”

“Oh,” Sebastian says. Wedding photographer is such a mundane job for a man who, by anyone’s standards, is quite extraordinary. His brain jumps to another question, and he can’t keep himself from asking, even if it is a little awkward. “Didn’t I...didn’t I kill you?”

Stefano smiles indulgently. “It certainly seemed so at the time, and yet the next thing I remember was waking up in one of Mobius’ warehouses.” He shrugs. “It was unexpected to say the least.”

“So I guess it’s no use asking you how you got out of STEM,” Sebastian observes.

Stefano nods in agreement. “I am afraid I don’t recall anything about that, though I must say that this world is a bit of a disappointment after Union.”

Sebastian opens his mouth to argue that the real world is preferable to Union in many ways but closes it again, because he sort of understands what Stefano means. After the constant high-adrenaline of Union, this world seems somehow diluted, and even if he is grateful to be able to raise Lily somewhere relatively safe, he can’t deny that it is a little boring.

Speaking of Lily, that raises another, very important, question. “Are you going to come after my daughter?”

Stefano sighs deeply. “And why exactly would I do that?”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at him.

“Do you think I make a habit of kidnapping children?” Stefano asks, looking genuinely hurt. “Do you really think that is the sort of thing that appeals to me?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have any idea what sort of thing appeals to Stefano.

“Let me assure you that what happened in Union was an isolated incident,” Stefano continues. “There were certain...pressures and influences there that do not exist in this world.”

Sebastian is quiet. He has some idea of what Stefano is talking about, though he still isn’t sure he can be trusted. In fact he seems to recall that Stefano was involved in some morally questionable activities even before Union.

“What about Emily Lewis?” he asks pointedly.

“What about her?” Stefano challenges. “Innocent until proven guilty- isn’t that how it works?”

Sebastian frowns, because Stefano does have a point. He doesn’t have any proof that Stefano killed Emily Lewis- not in this world at least- though that doesn’t make him feel any better about this whole situation.

Stefano leans forward slightly and looks into Sebastian’s eyes. “I mean your daughter no harm,” he says, and Sebastian can’t detect any deception in the way he says it. “In fact, at the moment I am more interested in you.”

The implication of his words is clear, and it takes Sebastian by surprise. He tries to cover by taking a gulp of his drink but ends up sputtering because it is, after all, a very strong drink. He still hasn’t quite recovered when Stefano stands up and claps a hand on his shoulder.

“I need to get back to work, but it’s been lovely talking with you,” he says before he gives Sebastian a wink, and disappears into the crowd, leaving Sebastian to sip his drink and wonder what the hell just happened.

  
  
  
  


A few days later, a hand-addressed envelope comes in the mail, and Sebastian opens it to find a picture of himself at Jacobs’ wedding along with a business card and a note.

_ Sebastian, _

_ I meant what I said about being interested in you, and I would very much like to see you again. My card is enclosed. I’ll be waiting for your call. _

_ Regards, _

_ Stefano _

The note fills Sebastian with an odd mix of excitement and nostalgia. On the surface, it seems insane that he actually wants to see Stefano, but on the other hand, Stefano is one of a very few people who can understand what Sebastian has been through, and that must count for something.

There’s only one way to find out. He picks up his phone and dials the number.


	22. Day 22- First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First impression/First meeting
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, dark themes (non-explicit references to Stefano committing murders)
> 
> Universe: none specified in the prompt, so naturally I went with an AU where Sebastian is the worst private investigator in the world and he and Stefano rent office space in the same building.

Sebastian has long suspected that the guy who rents the space above his office is a bit of a weirdo.

Of course, he’s renting space as well for his private investigation business, so he doesn’t necessarily have a whole lot of say in what goes on upstairs, but some recent events have been...troubling.

He’s grown used to the parade of attractive young women and men who climb the stairs outside his office door, though it is strange that he sees very few of them leave. Slightly more disruptive is the loud classical music, sometimes punctuated by thuds and crashes as though someone is moving furniture around. It’s around the time that the unusual stains begin to appear on the ceiling that Sebastian starts to suspect that there really is something odd happening on the floor above him.

He knows from the sign in front of the building that this man is some sort of photographer or artist, and he has seen him in passing, lugging his photography equipment up the stairs or dragging heavy garbage bags down them. Sebastian has offered to help a few times, but the man always declines with no more than a wave of his hand and a curt shake of his head.

Sebastian tries to leave it alone, because it really isn’t his business. Of course, his actual business is a little slow at the moment, and one day he finds himself out in the alley behind the building smoking a cigarette when the guy from upstairs comes out the back door, dragging a large wooden trunk behind him.

He’s been so standoffish in the past that at first Sebastian flat-out ignores him, and he is almost finished with the cigarette when he notices that the man seems to be having more difficulty than usual. He’s trying to load the trunk into his car, and he can’t even lift one end of it high enough to make the clearance.

Sebastian flicks his cigarette butt away and addresses the man. “If I offer to help, are you going to tell me to fuck off again?”

The man drops the trunk and draws himself up to his full height, which is almost as tall as Sebastian. “Perhaps not this time,” he replies. He has an accent Sebastian can’t quite place- maybe from some part of Europe. “And I don’t believe I have ever told you to ‘fuck off’ as you so crassly put it.”

“You didn’t have to,” Sebastian says. “You made your feelings pretty clear.”

“I like my independence,” the man says with a shrug.

“So do I,” Sebastian answers, “but that doesn’t mean I do everything by myself.”

“I suppose that’s a fair point,” the man says. “Could you assist me with this?” He gestures to the trunk.

“No problem,” Sebastian says. As he walks over with a practiced swagger, he takes the opportunity to look the man up and down. He is dressed, as always, in an expensive-looking suit, and his scarf and leather gloves make him look more than a little eccentric. His hair, which is styled to completely cover the right side of his face, is a little flamboyant for Sebastian’s taste, but still he has to admit that his upstairs neighbor is easy on the eyes. Speaking of which, he should probably stop gawking at him and actually make good on his offer of help.

He crouches down and grabs one end of the trunk, and the man grabs the other end. He nods, and they hoist it up to waist level.

“Jesus Christ,” exclaims Sebastian. “What do you have in here? Rocks?”

“Something like that,” the man says with a chuckle as they slide the trunk into his car. “Just some materials I needed to move out of my studio.”

“So you’ve got a photography studio up there?” Sebastian asks, leaning against the car. He’s not sure why, but he’s not quite ready for this conversation to end. Actually, maybe he is sure why, but he doesn’t want to admit to himself that he’s developing a bit of a crush on his office neighbor.

“I do,” the man replies, shutting the door of the car and turning to Sebastian. “I hope my...artistic endeavors are not disruptive to your work.”

“Your music is a little loud sometimes,” Sebastian points out. “And I think there’s something leaking through the ceiling.”

“Really?” the man says, looking alarmed. He pauses. “And you say you are a private investigator?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian replies.

The man smirks. Somehow that only makes him more attractive. “Fascinating. That must be why you are so perceptive.”

Sebastian can’t help but smile at that. “Well, I do have a law enforcement background.”

“I see,” the man replies. His brow furrows for a moment, but it barely registers with Sebastian. What does register is that he is becoming more and more interested in this man, and he doesn’t even know his name.

“I’m Sebastian,” he says, extending his hand. “Sebastian Castellanos.”

“Stefano Valentini,” the man replies, clasping his hand and giving it a firm shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He hesitates. “I hope you didn’t find me rude earlier. I simply prefer to keep to myself.”

Sebastian nods. “”Well, if you ever get tired of keeping to yourself, you know where to find me.”

“Indeed, I do,” Stefano replies.

Sebastian heads back toward the door to the building with a smile on his face. He hopes Stefano will seek him out sooner rather than later. Even if he is a little strange, he is by far the most interesting person Sebastian has met in quite a while.

“Oh, Sebastian,” Stefano calls after him. Sebastian turns around. “Thank you for your help.” Stefano nods at the car.

“Anytime,” Sebastian replies. He may not understand Stefano’s taste in music, or how quickly he goes through models, or why he has so many heavy trunks and garbage bags, but he hopes they will be seeing a lot more of each other.


	23. Day 23- Awkward Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: AU where Sebastian didn't kill Stefano, and Stefano is helping him. Sebastian is being chased by Lost, and he's tired and injured, and Stefano saves him. Sebastian doesn't understand why Stefano would risk his life to help him, and it leads to awkward love confessions.
> 
> Requested by: smol-gay-nerd184
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, canon typical violence
> 
> Universe: Union AU where Seb and Stefano have joined forces

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Stefano is staring at the mug of coffee in Sebastian’s hand with a distinctly suspicious look in his eye, which annoys Sebastian, because he really was just trying to be nice. They have no first aid kits left and only a few syringes, so coffee might be the only thing keeping them alive.

“It’ll heal your injuries,” he explains, extending the mug to Stefano again.

Stefano takes it, though he keeps his eye on Sebastian. “I understand that. I mean why are you giving it to  _ me _ ?”

Sebastian feels a pang of sympathy. He doesn’t know a lot about Stefano’s past as the man has been very stingy with information about himself, but the look on his face and the emphasis he puts on the question suggest that he’s not used to people actually coming through for him.

Sebastian doesn’t want to think too hard about that, because right now they both need to come through for Lily. He was reluctant to join forces with Stefano at first, but it certainly beats going it alone in the hostile world of STEM. He’s not entirely sure that Stefano can be trusted, but he’s not going to let him remain injured when he has the capability to heal him. He’s just not that kind of guy, but he’ll be damned before he’ll share any of these thoughts with Stefano.

He fixes Stefano with a look. “Don’t make me say it. Just drink.”

Stefano smiles faintly and raises the mug to his lips.

  
  
  
  


Less than an hour later, they are in a sorry state indeed. Sebastian is completely out of syringes and first aid kits, and he’s on his last clip of ammunition. They’ve been searching Union’s business district for the entrance to Theodore’s stronghold, ducking behind cover and sneaking around hordes of Lost and harbingers and those strange, molten humanoid figures. Stefano still has his knife in hand, but Sebastian can tell that his energy is flagging as well.

They need a break- need to sit down, even if it’s only for a few minutes, and have a cup of coffee, because they can’t go on like this. His nerves are shot and every one of his muscles is aching. They have to make it to the post office safehouse.

He is just turning to tell Stefano this when his foot makes contact with something hard. Before he can stop himself, he’s kicked a bottle across the street, and it’s heading right for one of the Lost. Sebastian draws his breath in sharply, and everything seems to go into slow motion as the bottle hits the Lost in the foot.

Sebastian holds his breath and prays it somehow won’t notice, but apparently they aren’t going to have that kind of luck, because the thing pivots to face them, mumbling its strange, garbled language. Then it locks onto them with a howl of excitement, and several other Lost in the vicinity start lumbering over to see what all the fuss is about.

“Shit!” growls Sebastian, springing to his feet and abandoning any pretense of stealth. “Let’s get out of here!”

Stefano is up on his feet as well, and they break into a sprint, setting a beeline for the post office. The Lost are chasing after them making an ungodly racket, and more are joining in with every step Sebastian takes. They pop out of alleys and from behind dumpsters, and there’s just no end to them.

Sebastian’s lungs are burning, and his legs are aching, but he can’t slow down even for a second, because that will mean certain death. Stefano is a few paces ahead of him, and they’ve just come within sight of the post office when a Lost staggers out from behind a car and directly into Sebastian’s path.

He manages to swerve so that he doesn’t run right into it, but the maneuver costs him precious time, and one of his pursuers catches up, grabs onto his arm, and yanks him down to the ground. There is a sharp, stabbing pain in his ankle, all the air is knocked out of his lungs, and he is abruptly on his back on the pavement with a circle of Lost closing in from all sides.

He readies his pistol, but he already knows he doesn’t have enough ammunition to take out this many of them. He won’t even have enough ammunition to escape, and with the way his ankle is now throbbing he isn’t sure he’d be up for more running anyway. His heart is in his throat when suddenly there is a streak of blue in his peripheral vision.

He watches as it moves from one enemy to the next, and in between the blurs of motion he catches glimpses of Stefano wielding his knife expertly, bringing down one Lost after another with bold, precise strokes. In seconds, all of them are motionless on the ground, and Stefano is at his side, reaching out to grasp his hand.

“Fuck,” Sebastian grunts in pain as Stefano hoists him to his feet, because his ankle has to be broken considering how badly it’s hurting now.

“Come on,” Stefano says urgently, pulling one of Sebastian’s arms across his shoulders to help support some of his weight so that Sebastian can hobble forward beside him. “Let’s go before more of them come.”

Every step hurts like hell, but Stefano moves at Sebastian’s pace, and they are making progress, even if it’s slower than Sebastian would like. They are almost at the door of the safehouse when it dawns on Sebastian that Stefano- a man he didn’t think he could trust, who kidnapped his daughter, who he almost killed a few hours ago- just saved his life.

“Why...why did you do that?” he gasps as he limps along.

Stefano sighs. “Don’t make me say it.”

The corner of Sebastian’s mouth twitches even though he is grimacing in pain. “Fine,” he says. “I won’t say it either.”


	24. Day 24- Injections (Afterimage)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Injections with Sebastian in the Afterimage universe
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit sexual content, brainwashing/manipulation, injections
> 
> Universe: Afterimage (set during the time they spend in the motel room)

“Sebastian.”

Stefano’s voice is soft, hypnotic. It lures Sebastian out of his sleep like the caress of a lover, and he instinctively moves closer to its source, shifting over in the bed until his head is in Stefano’s lap.

Stefano ruffles his hair affectionately. “Time for another injection.”

Sebastian shakes his head, keeping his face pressed to Stefano’s thigh. He doesn’t like the injections. They hurt, for one thing, and he is beginning to suspect that they have something to do with the fog in his brain. He can’t remember when the fog began, but he thinks it’s getting worse. He doesn’t know what time it is or what day it is or how long he’s been in this motel room with Stefano, and he can’t really bring himself to care.

“Yes,” Stefano insists. “You need them to stay relaxed. We can’t have your mind running away with you.” His hand shifts to Sebastian’s back to give him an encouraging pat. “This is for your own good, Sebastian. Now, come here.”

Sebastian would point out that he already is ‘here’, but he knows exactly what Stefano means. Stefano is very fair in that regard, and he has taught Sebastian precisely what to do in order to earn his praise. Of course, that also means that there is no excuse for disobedience.

He pushes himself up onto his hands and knees, crawling forward so that he can lie across Stefano’s lap the way he’s been trained to do for the injections. He settles in, resting his weight on Stefano.

“Very good,” Stefano murmurs, hooking his fingers into the waistband of Sebastian’s boxers and tugging them down so that his ass is exposed.

Despite the fog in his head, Sebastian feels his face flush hot. He still isn’t quite used to being undressed in front of Stefano, to allowing Stefano this kind of access to his body, though being in this position reminds him of the one thing he does enjoy about the injections. His cock is still caught up in his boxers, but it is also pressed against Stefano’s thigh, and it’s starting to show some signs of interest in the proceedings. Sebastian knows he’s probably not supposed to, but he rocks his hips forward, rubbing his cock against Stefano.

“Sebastian.” Stefano places a hand at the small of his back, pinning him down. His tone is admonishing, but not overly harsh. “Not yet. If you behave yourself, you can have a reward after your shots.”

“Shots?” Sebastian asks, his voice muffled because his face is buried in his arms. It’s usually just one injection at a time.

“Yes,” Stefano replies, his hand still firm on Sebastian’s back. “I believe you are building up a tolerance, so I’ve had to increase your dose.”

Sebastian heaves a sigh. He doesn’t like the sound of that at all, but it’s no use arguing about it, and Stefano doesn’t wait for a response anyway. He braces his forearm against Sebastian’s back and uses his other hand to swab a patch of skin on Sebastian’s ass with alcohol.

“Relax,” he reminds Sebastian, and that is all the warning Sebastian gets before the needle is plunged deep into his muscle. He hisses in discomfort at the initial sting, struggles to hold still as it starts to burn even more as the medicine is released.

“Breathe,” Stefano murmurs, and Sebastian does, and that helps a little. “Just one more,” Stefano says, and Sebastian does his best not to tense up at the second burst of sharp, electric pain. This one is even worse than the last, and he can’t suppress a whimper of discomfort. He hopes it won’t make Stefano angry.

“Shhh,” Stefano soothes, setting the syringe aside and lightly massaging the injection site with his fingers. “You’re doing very well.”

Sebastian takes another deep breath as Stefano’s fingers gently probe the sore muscle. It doesn’t hurt exactly, but it is tender, and it makes him squirm a little, which in turn puts more pressure on his cock. He freezes, unsure of whether Stefano will allow him to continue.

“Go ahead,” Stefano says. “You’ve earned it.”

Sebastian feels a rush of happiness that he’s pleased Stefano and a rush of arousal because this is the part he likes, the part where he gets to feel good and Stefano is proud of him. Stefano is no longer restraining him, and he begins to rock his hips back and forth, rubbing himself against Stefano’s thigh.

He’s already hard, and he doesn’t have the presence of mind to be embarrassed at the rough, desperate pace he sets. He needs this- needs it so badly that it hurts almost as much as the needles. One of Stefano’s hands is still on his ass, soothing the pain of the injections away and encouraging his thrusts. Stefano’s other hand slides under his chest to pinch and tug at his nipples, and everything is so good and warm and sensitive that Sebastian is lost in the fog again.

He groans and he thrusts and he burns, and through all of it, Stefano’s voice is in his ear, praising and comforting and telling him how beautiful he is, how good he feels. That voice is pleasure in itself, drives his arousal to new heights, strokes his ears the way Stefano’s hands stroke his body. He shudders and drives his hips harder against Stefano’s lap, because he is so close.

Stefano’s fingers dip between his buttocks, trace his opening, and it is so raw and intimate and thrilling that he thrusts one more time and comes with stifled scream as the pressure and the heat and the tension leave his body in a rush of pleasure.

He is in the fog again, but Stefano’s hand is on his back, rubbing small circles. “Good boy,” he says softly. “Soon, you’ll be ready for more...”

Sebastian feels another surge of warmth. He wants more, and he wants to be good for Stefano. He wants it more than anything.


	25. Day 25- Stefano's Birthday (Catalyst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Seb and Lily give Stefano a surprise on his first birthday out of Union. Stefano doesn't remember his birthday, but Seb knows his birthday from the file he got from Kidman in Union.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: mild language
> 
> Universe: Catalyst (post-story when they've settled down)

Stefano knows there is something unusual going on when he wakes up alone, but he still takes a few moments to savor the simple pleasure of lying in bed on a lazy Sunday morning. It’s winter, so the air in the house is a little chilly, but in his pajamas and under the covers everything is soft and warm and smells like Sebastian. It’s quite an enjoyable way to wake up, but that doesn’t change the fact that something strange is afoot.

For one thing, it usually takes a nuclear explosion to get Sebastian out of bed, so it’s very atypical for him to be awake before Stefano. For another, Stefano can detect the sound of hushed voices in the hall outside his bedroom, and the snatches of conversation he overhears are distinctly suspicious.

“Dad, I’ve got it,” Lily says. He can hear the irritation in her voice, and Stefano wonders if this is part of an ongoing argument.

“Okay, okay,” Sebastian says. “Just be careful. It’s a little heavy. And be quiet.”

Stefano has to stifle a laugh with his pillow, because Sebastian has no place telling anyone to be quiet. Maybe it’s his years in law enforcement coming through, but Sebastian has no inside voice, and even when he thinks he’s whispering, Stefano can still hear him from the next room.

There are a few more footsteps, and Sebastian mutters, “Watch it.”

“I’m fine!” huffs Lily. “Just get the door.”

The door creaks open, and Stefano sits up in bed, eager to see what on earth is happening. Sebastian and Lily are standing there, both in their pajamas as well, and Lily is holding a breakfast tray.

“Happy Birthday!” Lily blurts out. She has a huge smile on her face and looks like she is about to bubble over with excitement. “We made you breakfast in bed!”

Stefano is hit by such a rush of emotions that it takes him a few moments to sort all of them out. His first instinct is to tell Lily that it’s not his birthday, but this is immediately followed by the realization that he doesn’t actually know whether it’s his birthday or not. He racks his brain, because this is something people know- normal people know when their birthdays are- but he is drawing a blank.

At the same time, he is a little overwhelmed by the kind of warm fuzzy feeling that comes on so often when he is with Sebastian and Lily. They’ve clearly done something very nice for him, and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve this or why they seem to think he is worth all this trouble, but he knows that it’s useless to ask these questions. They’ll just insist that they love him, and that will be the end of it.

In spite of his confusion, he smiles and answers, “Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Thank you.” His eye flicks over to Sebastian. “Both of you. It smells wonderful.”

Lily beams and carries the tray over to the bed, waiting for Stefano to arrange himself comfortably against the pillows before she hands it to him. He balances the tray on his lap, eyeing the piles of french toast and bacon with some apprehension, because there is definitely too much here for one person.

“You two are going to help me eat this, right?” he asks.

“If you insist,” Sebastian says with a grin.

  
  
  
  


Stefano can tell Sebastian had a hand in preparing the french toast, because it’s a little heavy on the cinnamon, like everything Sebastian cooks, but it’s still very good, and he and Sebastian and Lily eat their fill.

Afterward, Lily volunteers to take the tray downstairs, and Sebastian closes the bedroom door behind her and turns to Stefano. His brow is creased with worry.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. “Did we overdo it?”

“No,” Stefano replies, glancing down at the comforter. “I just…” He takes a deep breath and forces himself to look at Sebastian. “I just didn’t know it was my birthday.” He pauses. “How did you know?”

“It was part of the file Mobius had on you,” Sebastian says as a dark look crosses his face. “You really didn’t remember?”

Stefano shakes his head. Over time, he has come to terms with the fact that there are many things about his past he does not remember, but this seems like a pretty big one, and apparently Sebastian thinks so as well.

“God damn it,” Sebastian growls, and Stefano flinches. He knows Sebastian isn’t angry at him. Sebastian would never talk to him that way, but even Sebastian’s righteous anger on his behalf can be a little disconcerting.

“Sorry,” Sebastian says quickly. He moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to Stefano and takes Stefano’s face between his hands with a deep sigh. “What did Mobius do to you?”

It’s clearly a rhetorical question, and neither one of them attempts to answer it. They sit, still and silent, for a few seconds until Sebastian leans in to press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he says again as he sits back and meets Stefano’s gaze. “You deserve so much better.”

“And now I have it,” Stefano points out, because he can’t imagine a better life than the one he has with Sebastian and Lily.

“I guess so,” Sebastian says, though he doesn’t sound convinced.

“I know so,” Stefano replies. “Now come and lie down with me for a little while.”

“That does sound tempting,” Sebastian says, “but can’t I stomp around and curse out Mobius instead?”

“No,” Stefano says decisively. “You have to do what I say. It’s my birthday.”

Sebastian laughs and dives under the covers with him, and there is no better feeling than being wrapped securely in Sebastian’s arms. Whatever Mobius took from him, he has gained back a hundred times over. His old, lost memories don’t seem to matter very much when he can make new ones with Sebastian and Lily.


	26. Day 26- Tactical Flirting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano's speeches are shamelessly flirty, but when they face off in the theatre, Seb flirts back, allowing him to defeat Stefano. Seb doesn't kill him though, and Stefano later proposes they team up.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: canon typical violence, innuendo
> 
> Universe: canon-ish AU

Sebastian hears the footfalls behind him a second too late. His hand flies to his gun, and he pivots on the spot, but before he can pull the gun more than few inches out of the holster, there is a bright flash of light, and he is utterly frozen in place.

He can only watch as the photographer approaches him, camera still held in one hand.

“You’ve been searching for me for so long,” the photographer says. “I must say, I am quite flattered.”

He strolls closer as Sebastian frantically tries to will his muscles to move.

“Many have sought me,” he continues, “but I have met no one here in Union who is as…” He looks Sebastian up and down, openly admiring his physique. “...impressive as yourself.”

Sebastian is stunned. This is Lily’s kidnapper, the man who is responsible for the corruption of all of Union, and by all accounts a formidable adversary. He came here expecting a fight, and the flirtatious comments catch him completely off guard.

“You will be my finest work yet.”

The photographer steps in closer, and Sebastian’s confusion is replaced by a cold wave of fear when he sees the knife clutched in his other hand. He tries to run, to shout, to draw his gun, but it is all in vain. The photographer raises the knife and moves it toward his chest.

“Don’t be afraid,” he says in a tone that is far too soothing for this situation. “I merely like to take a look at my canvas before I begin to create.”

The knife catches the fabric of his shirt at the collar, and the photographer draws it downward, slicing his shirt open neatly down the front. He tucks the knife away inside his jacket and traces its path with his gloved finger, drawing an imaginary line down Sebastian’s torso, ending at the waistband of his pants.

“And such a canvas you are,” he breathes. He directs his gaze back to Sebastian’s face. “I am Stefano, and you will be my art.” His fingers brush Sebastian’s cheek in a tender caress. “We will meet again. I promise you that.”

He turns and walks away, and it’s not until the double doors close behind him that Sebastian is able to move. He draws his gun and takes aim, but of course there is nothing there.

  
  
  
  


Sebastian emerges from the encounter shaken, red-faced, and practically shirtless, for all the good his is doing him right now. He doesn’t know who Stefano is or what he wants or why he has taken such an unexpected sort of interest in him, but he puts all of that aside. He has to find Lily.

Kidman is able to fill him in on some of the information about Stefano’s past, and he heads for the business district armed with more knowledge, though still not enough to understand what kind of game Stefano is playing.

What he finds outside the theatre only fuels his curiosity- and his growing sense of embarrassment. One of Mobius’ soldiers is strung up by barbed wire, and a knife is sticking out of his skull. It’s not the blood and gore that shocks him but the photo impaled on the knife. Sebastian pulls the knife out to get a closer look and finds himself blushing furiously, because the image is of Stefano wearing only his trademark gloves and a strategically placed scarf.

“What the hell?” sputters Sebastian, dropping the photo. It lands upside down on the pavement, and he can now see that there are words written on the back in what appears to be blood.

_ Waiting for you. _

  
  
  
  


When Sebastian steps through the double doors of the auditorium for his final confrontation with Stefano, a plan is already beginning to take shape in his mind. Of course there is no guarantee that it will work, and if it fails, he’s going to end up looking pretty stupid, but if the signs Stefano is sending him are any indication, it’s worth a try.

Stefano is on the stage in front of him, knife in one hand and camera in the other. He smiles. “I was beginning to worry you weren’t coming, but I see you’ve found me.”

“Yes,” Sebastian replies, steeling his nerves and putting on his most seductive voice. “Now what am I going to do with you?”

Stefano’s eye widens noticeably and he takes a small step backward. “Excuse me?”

Sebastian has already drawn his gun and fired off a few rounds before Stefano collects himself. He reels with the impact of the shots for a moment, but then seems to shake it off, and in a flash he is right in front of Sebastian, knife raised, but Sebastian keeps his cool this time.

“I like a man who fights a little dirty,” he growls, eyes locked on to Stefano’s.

Again, Stefano hesitates, and he has to go on the defensive, dodging Sebastian’s bullets and parrying his close-range attacks. They go back and forth like this for several minutes. Sebastian has never considered tactical flirting before, but he must admit that it’s working surprisingly well.

He is reloading his gun when Stefano teleports close to him and drops to one knee. He is breathing hard and one of his hands is raised in a gesture of surrender. “Wait!” he calls.

Sebastian snaps the magazine back into place and pauses, on the alert for another of Stefano’s tricks.

“I propose a truce,” Stefano says. “I don’t have the girl anymore, but I know how we can get her back.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. “Does it involve suggestive comments? Because that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble.”

“Let me assure you that I know exactly what to do with my mouth,” Stefano replies with a wink.

“Oh for god’s sake,” Sebastian groans. Stefano is absolutely shameless, but he’s in no position to turn down an offer of help. He grasps Stefano’s hand and pulls him to his feet. “Let’s go.”


	27. Day 27- Defending Stefano's Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano's art is on display, and unruly viewers or critics are trying to tear Stefano down with criticism. Sebastian steps in to defend his lover's art even if he doesn't understand it.
> 
> Requested by: lucidlexicon
> 
> Warnings: mild language
> 
> Universe: pre-established SteSeb relationship, post-Union

It’s almost midnight, and the crowd from the opening of Stefano’s latest exhibit has dispersed, but there are still a few stragglers scattered around the gallery. Sebastian is cruising the room with a glass of champagne in his hand, hoping to catch a glimpse of the artist himself, when he hears it.

“I suppose so, but does the imagery serve any purpose?”

“Shock value- that’s all,” a second voice chimes in. “Gore for its own sake.”

Sebastian pauses, shielded from the speakers behind a column. He certainly isn’t an art critic himself, and he often doesn’t fit in particularly well at these events. At the last opening, he got the distinct impression that Stefano was a little embarrassed by his lack of sophistication. However, he is still savvy enough to know that what is being said on the other side of the column is not the praise he expects to hear about Stefano’s work, not the recognition that Stefano’s work deserves.

The first voice is speaking again. “There’s no meaning here, nothing that invites deeper analysis.”

Sebastian bristles at that, because of course Stefano’s art is meaningful. He knows how much Stefano puts into his creations, how he pours his heart and soul into every photograph, how precisely he engineers each composition. Nothing is random; nothing is left to chance. Sebastian may not understand what each piece means, but they sure as hell mean something.

He glances up and down the gallery, but he doesn’t see Stefano, which is probably a good thing, because Stefano really doesn’t need to hear this. For one thing, these people are clearly idiots, and for another, Stefano’s reaction to criticism can be a little extreme as evidenced by the fact that more than one of his critics has disappeared under highly suspicious circumstances.

“I can’t believe we came out to see this,” the second voice says. “This isn’t even art.”

Sebastian sees red at that, because he knows how important art is to Stefano, and these people are simply wrong. He may not understand why, but they are dead wrong, and no one insults his husband’s art like that.

He steps out from behind the column. “Where the hell do you get off saying something like that?”

The two middle-aged ladies who have been disdainfully eyeing one of Stefano’s latest pieces jump back in surprise. Actually, judging from their expressions, it’s something more like terror. Their eyes are wide and their mouths are hanging open.

“Excuse me?” One of them says tentatively. “Who are you exactly?”

“Forget about who I am,” Sebastian snaps. “Who are you? Who are you to judge this? What do you know about art?”

The owner of the second voice draws herself up to her full height, which is approximately five foot one. “I’ll have you know I am Veronica Whitehurst, senior photography consultant for  _ Artiste _ magazine.”

“Never heard of you,” Sebastian shoots back, thoroughly unimpressed. He doubts he’ll even remember her name in a few more seconds. “And where’s your exhibit?”

“I...I…” Veronica Whatsername stammers.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Sebastian says. “It must be easy to throw those kind of comments around when you’ve got nothing on the line yourself.”

Veronica Whatserface has composed herself a little more. “My contribution to the art world is my critique. Anyone who’s anyone knows my work,” she replies indignantly.

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Sebastian retorts. “Your ‘work’...”. He makes air quotes with his hands as he speaks. “...is just tearing down the people who actually create things. With people like you around it’s a wonder anyone bothers to create anything at all.”

Both women stare at Sebastian in stunned silence.

“Stefano is a visionary,” Sebastian says with conviction, “and if you can’t see that from his work, then you don’t have any business in the art world at all.”

The two women look at each other, then back at Sebastian, then back at each other. “I’ve never been so insulted!” exclaims Veronica Whatever, and she and her companion shuffle away across the gallery, shooting ugly looks over their shoulders at Sebastian.

Sebastian turns his attention back to the photograph in front of him. He strains his eyes, strains his mind, tries desperately to see it the way he is sure Stefano sees it, the way an artist would see it. It still looks the same to him, and he can’t say that he understands it, but he knows what it represents.

It doesn’t matter if a hundred critics pan this exhibit. It’s Stefano’s work, Stefano’s blood, sweat, and tears, and even if they don’t see the meaning in it, it absolutely means something to Sebastian.

He is lost in thought when a familiar hand touches the small of his back. “Visionary, you say?”

Sebastian turns to Stefano. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough,” Stefano replies with a strained smile. “Though I was standing out of sight behind the column.”

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian says. “Don’t take anything they said too seriously. Who cares what they think anyway.”

Stefano looks thoughtful for a moment. “What about the things you said?”

“You know I meant every word of it,” Sebastian says. “I may not understand your art, but I understand you.”

“One doesn’t always have to understand art to appreciate it,” Stefano says. “And I, in turn, appreciate all you do for me.” He leans in to kiss Sebastian.

Stefano’s mouth is soft and warm and tastes of champagne. The kiss is a little rough, probably because Sebastian is still agitated from his argument with the art critic, but Stefano doesn’t seem to mind.

When the kiss ends, Stefano rests his head on Sebastian’s shoulder. The gallery is almost empty now except for Sebastian and Stefano and the strains of some classical music.

“You’re sure I didn’t embarrass you?” Sebastian asks.

“Far from it,” Stefano replies. “Now, dance with me.”

Sebastian grins, because this is something he does understand, and when Stefano is in his arms, all is right with the world.


	28. Day 28- Creator's Rights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano is tasked by Theodore to break down/manipulate Sebastian, but when it is time to turn him over to Theodore, Stefano calls off the plan and says that Sebastian belongs to him.
> 
> Requested by: miyukichronicles
> 
> Warnings: canon-typical violence, references to brainwashing
> 
> Universe: Canon AU

“What is your mission?” Stefano asks, making sure that his tone carries the appropriate sense of authority. He is standing squarely facing Sebastian, the way a superior officer might address a footsoldier. And Sebastian is his soldier.

“To protect the Core,” Sebastian replies with no hesitation. His eyes are a little unfocused, but his voice is strong, and Stefano can detect no deception in him, no weakness, nothing that will breed failure or disobedience.

“And to whom are you loyal?” Stefano says, looking Sebastian up and down.

“To you.”

Stefano frowns slightly at that. There is nothing lacking in Sebastian’s loyalty, and in fact Stefano has been reaping the rewards of that loyalty for quite some time during the training process. What troubles him now is that he knows his time with Sebastian is drawing to a close, and it doesn’t seem fair for him to be deprived of the fruits of his labor.

A creator does have certain rights, after all, and Sebastian is undoubtedly his creation. Theodore provided him the raw materials- the flesh and bone, the thoughts and feelings and memories- but Stefano has shaped those materials to fit his vision, and in Sebastian’s case, he has outdone himself.

Sebastian was perhaps not the most psychologically balanced individual to start with, but that gave Stefano a lot to work with. Sebastian was ruled by his emotions, but Stefano has focused them, channeled them for a very particular purpose, just as Theodore directed. And even though he undertook all of this on Theodore’s orders, Stefano now finds himself resenting Theodore for threatening to take Sebastian away from him.

It would be a terrible waste, for one thing. Sebastian has such potential, and Theodore will utilize none of that. Stefano had high hopes when he provided Theodore with the Core, but Theodore is only interested in power for its own sake- gaining power and withholding it from others. He is too unimaginative, too short-sighted to have any interest in the things he could accomplish with that power..

In addition, Stefano has taken a more personal interest in Sebastian. The life of an artist is often a lonely one. He typically prefers his creations- his photographs and his sculptures- to human interaction, but of course Sebastian is his creation as well, and he and Sebastian have had much more… satisfying interactions then he could ever hope to have with his other works of art. Sebastian’s enthusiasm for physical contact is matched only by his eagerness to please, and Stefano has found both of those things quite enjoyable.

As a creator, he should retain the absolute authority to control his own work, to dictate how others can interact with it, if he allows them to interact with it at all. He doesn’t expect Theodore to see it that way, but then, Theodore is a manipulator, not a creator. Theodore is also drunk on his own power and laboring under the delusion that all of Union belongs to him.

To that end, when Theodore next summons him and Sebastian to his throne room, Stefano is prepared for a fight.

Sebastian looks mildly confused upon suddenly being teleported into Theodore’s realm, which is just as dull as Stefano remembers it- all fire and brimstone-, but he quiets as soon as he sees that Stefano is with him. That trust, the docile acceptance that he is safe if he is with Stefano, causes Stefano’s protective instinct to flare up again. Sebastian is his to use and his to protect, and he won’t allow Theodore to damage him.

“Stefano.” Theodore’s voice booms through the cavernous throne room, and Stefano has to resist the urge to roll his eye. He appreciates theatricality, but this is just excessive. “When we last met I set you a specific task. Have you completed it?”

“Yes,” Stefano replies. It’s not a lie exactly. He has successfully reprogrammed Sebastian, altered his memories, and changed his loyalties, but he has no intention of turning him over.

“Very good,” Theodore says. “Now, come to me Sebastian.”

Sebastian looks at Stefano, and Stefano knows that all he has to do is give his permission, tell Sebastian to obey Theodore, but instead he holds up a hand. “Wait,” he tells Sebastian. Then he turns to Theodore. “I can’t let you do that,” he says. “Sebastian has become rather indispensable to me.”

“Stefano.” There is a note of warning in Theodore’s voice. “I expect nothing less than absolute obedience in my servants.”

Stefano is quite finished with Theodore, and he detests being spoken to as though he is a naughty child. “I am no man’s servant,” he says proudly, “and Sebastian is mine.”

“Then it seems our business is at an end,” Theodore says. He waves his hand lazily and in an instant, Stefano is surrounded by a ring of fire, or, more accurately, a ring of Theodore’s fire disciples.

Stefano realizes two things immediately. First, he is going to be far outmatched in a fight against this many strong opponents, and second, it may not have been a good idea to anger the man who holds the power of the Core. He reaches for his knife, preparing to make his last stand, but before he can do anything, Sebastian springs into action. He shoots and stabs, bends time and space, uses all of the tools Stefano has given him, and Stefano is filled with a sense of pride as he watches his creation at work.

When Sebastian has cut down the last enemy, Stefano has the presence of mind to teleport them away from Theodore. It’s a temporary measure, and considering how powerful Theodore is, there are surely much greater obstacles ahead, but at least he still has Sebastian by his side.

Speaking of Sebastian, he is looking at Stefano with a curious expression. “Sir?” he asks tentatively.

“Yes?”

“Does this mean I can stay with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Stefano replies. It’s a rare showing of emotion, but one that he’s willing to permit.


	29. Day 29- Learning Italian (Afterimage)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about Stefano teaching Sebastian Italian in Afterimage when they're in Stefano's STEM world? Cute fluff between them, and maybe at the end, Sebastian says "I love you" in Italian?
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: mild references to manipulation
> 
> Universe: Afterimage (post-story)

“Bonjourney,” Sebastian announces when he exits their bedroom one morning. 

Stefano almost chokes on his coffee, both because Sebastian’s pronunciation is atrocious and because Sebastian has never shown any inclination to speak Italian until this very moment. Sebastian looks so pleased with himself that Stefano almost feels bad about correcting him, but he also cannot allow Sebastian to so thoroughly desecrate his native language.

“No,” Stefano says calmly, the same way he does when Sebastian does anything wrong. Sebastian hasn’t required any punishment harsher than that for months.

Predictably, Sebastian looks crestfallen at even a very mild correction. “I really thought I had it,” he says as he pulls out his chair at the breakfast table. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Rest assured that you did,” Stefano replies with an indulgent smile. It is quite rare for Sebastian to surprise him these days, but he certainly has this time. Stefano pauses for a moment. “Would you like to learn Italian?”

“I think I should,” Sebastian says. “We do live in Florence after all.”

Actually, they live in a STEM system that Stefano has shaped into a perfect replica of Florence and populated with Italian speakers, but Sebastian doesn’t need to know that.

“Would you teach me?” Sebastian asks tentatively. The nature of their relationship is such that Sebastian rarely asks him for anything. Sebastian rarely has to ask, because Stefano takes great care to ensure that all of his needs are met. This, however, is a very reasonable request, and one that Stefano did not anticipate.

“Yes, I will,” Stefano says. Sebastian leans forward in his seat as though he can barely contain his excitement, so Stefano decides to start right away.

“Now, listen carefully. Buongiorno.” He emphasizes each phoneme, then repeats it a few times as Sebastian stares at him, as though continued eye contact will help him master the pronunciation of the word. It’s a bit humorous, but Stefano doesn’t want to laugh at something that is clearly so important to Sebastian.

“Buongiorno,” Sebastian says after a brief pause.

“Yes,” Stefano says in that special intonation that marks a desired behavior, and Sebastian beams.

Stefano sips his coffee and reflects. He could simply ‘download’ all of his knowledge of the Italian language into Sebastian’s brain. He could also tweak the perceptions of all of the people in His World so that they would understand Sebastian’s English, but he doesn’t particularly like either of those options. There is something sacred about the teacher-student relationship that he and Sebastian share, that they have shared since those long days in the motel room back in the physical world, and Stefano is reluctant to give up any opportunity to personally teach Sebastian something.

Unfortunately, it becomes apparent over the next several days of lessons that Sebastian does not have the kind of brain that readily learns new languages. He can memorize well enough, but he struggles with pronunciation, and stringing more than one word together is beyond him entirely.

What Sebastian does have going for him is his eagerness to please Stefano and an endless enthusiasm for whatever it is that Stefano wants him to do. Stefano certainly can’t attribute Sebastian’s failure in this particular task to insufficient effort on his part.

Fortunately, Stefano enjoys a challenge, and he is constantly coming up with new ways to teach Sebastian. He speaks only Italian around the house, and Sebastian seems to understand a lot of what he says. Or perhaps Sebastian just knows him so well by now that he is able to intuit what Stefano wants from him at any given moment.

He has also taken to directing Sebastian to perform various transactions when they are out in public in hopes that interacting with some other Italian speakers will push him to use his skills, fundamental as they are, but this often deteriorates into a game of charades, as Sebastian is more apt to begin acting out what he wants to communicate than to express himself in Stefano’s native language.

He has tried withholding things that Sebastian wants- usually coffee or cigarettes- until Sebastian completes some sort of conversational objective, but that tends to end in more frustration than learning, because Sebastian is at his most impatient when he is deprived of his favorite vices.

More than anything though, Sebastian thrives on praise. Stefano knew this already of course. He has utilized it extensively when teaching Sebastian other things, and it never fails to amaze him how much Sebastian is willing to do for a few kind words. So he looks for every opportunity to tell Sebastian he is doing well, and Sebastian is improving, slowly but surely.

One night, about a week after the Italian lessons began, they are settled on the couch for the evening. Sebastian is lying down with his head in Stefano’s lap while Stefano idly strokes his hair and reads a novel.

“I want to be better,” Sebastian says, seemingly out of nowhere.

“At speaking Italian?” Stefano asks, because that is the only thing he can think of that Sebastian could possibly be talking about.

“At everything,” Sebastian replies. “I want to be better at everything for you.”

Stefano scratches his head affectionately. “I know. I have never questioned your dedication.”

Sebastian is quiet for a few seconds, eyes closed and head pressed against Stefano’s hand. “Do you think I’ll ever learn Italian?” he asks.

“Of course you will,” Stefano says. “These things take time, and I am very proud of how hard you’ve been working.”

Sebastian grins lazily and opens his eyes. “Ti amo,” he says.

“Well done,” Stefano says with a broad smile. Maybe Sebastian has learned something after all.

Sebastian’s face lights up. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“You did,” Stefano says, “and it was quite a pleasant surprise. I think you’ve earned a reward.”

Sebastian sits up beside him, barely able to contain his eagerness, and Stefano gathers him up in his arms.

“Anch’io, ti amo,” Stefano murmurs, just before their lips meet.


	30. Day 30- The Big Question (Catalyst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lily asks Sebastian and Stefano, "When are you two going to get married?" Fluffy with funny reactions from Seb and Stefano.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: mild language
> 
> Universe: Catalyst (post-story)

It’s a nice, quiet Saturday morning at the breakfast table, the kind that reminds Sebastian of family breakfasts years ago with Lily and Myra. Lily has finally finished applying maple syrup to her waffle, which takes a while since all of the squares need to be filled in evenly, and Stefano is sipping his coffee and pointedly ignoring his phone, which has been vibrating for several minutes.

“Is there some kind of emergency at the gallery?” Sebastian asks, nodding at Stefano’s phone. He picks up the syrup and begins to douse his own waffle in it.

The corner of Stefano’s mouth turns up in a half smile. “Nothing worth losing family time over.”

Sebastian grins at that. Family is important to him of course, but it’s even better to see how important it’s become to Stefano in the year since they escaped from STEM.

“So when are you two going to get married?” Lily asks, apropos of nothing.

Sebastian stares at Lily, then at Stefano. Stefano stares right back at him like a deer in headlights. The syrup, which Sebastian has forgotten, flows over the edge of his plate and onto the table.

“Ummmm…” Sebastian stalls for time, eyes begging Stefano for help, but Stefano looks like he doesn’t have any idea how to respond to Lily’s question either. “What makes you ask that, sweetie?”

Lily shrugs. “You guys love each other, right?”

“Uhhhhh…” Sebastian stammers. Stefano’s face is scarlet, and Sebastian can feel his own face flushing hot. The syrup runs over the edge of the table and onto Sebastian’s lap, which finally gets his attention.

“Damn it,” he mutters, setting the syrup back down on the table and grabbing a napkin to dab at his pants. “Sorry,” he promptly adds. “I mean, yes, of course we love each other.” He gets up quickly and grabs a roll of paper towels from the kitchen counter to start cleaning up the mess.

Stefano nods in mute agreement.

“And you want to be together forever?” Lily continues. Her eyes are focused on her waffle, which she is cutting up into precisely equal pieces.

Sebastian swallows hard. He wants to be with Stefano forever- there’s no question about that-, but he isn’t sure if Stefano is even in the frame of mind to make those kind of decisions after everything he’s been through. Thankfully Stefano regains the use of his voice and answers for him.

“Yes,” he answers, glancing over at Lily while fidgeting with his napkin.

“Then you should get married,” Lily says simply, inclining her head toward Sebastian even while looking down at her plate. “Like you and Mom did.”

She pops the first bite of waffle into her mouth and looks up to see Stefano red-faced and Sebastian covered in syrup, apparently unaware until now of the chaos she’s caused. “Oh come on,” she says with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “You guys really didn’t think of this already?”

Sebastian has thought of this. He’s thought of this many times, but he’s never made it past the point of thinking about it. There are too many questions and fears and doubts in his mind. With Myra, it was easy. He was young and stupid and had nothing to lose, and it was the obvious next step after they’d been dating for a little while. In retrospect, if he had known what an amazing wife and mother Myra turned out to be, he would have been way too intimidated to propose to her.

With Stefano things are… complicated to say the least. He already knows how amazing Stefano is, knows all of the good things that Stefano deserves. But Stefano is also fragile, and his faith in humanity is tenuous, and Sebastian is afraid every day that he won’t live up to that, that he won’t be everything that Stefano needs him to be.

He is damaged himself, from STEM and from losing Joseph and Myra. He will give Stefano absolutely everything he has, but he still worries sometimes that it won’t be enough, that there simply isn’t enough of him left to give Stefano everything he needs.

“We’ll...we’ll have to think about it, Lily,” he answers finally before, desperate for some distraction, he turns his attention back to mopping the syrup up from the table.

Lily just shrugs again and concentrates on her waffle. Stefano gets up from the table and retreats upstairs. Sebastian watches him go with a tight feeling in his chest. Clearly this is something they will need to talk about later.

  
  
  
  


Sebastian is finishing up the breakfast dishes, watching Lily and her friends play in the backyard through the window over the kitchen sink, when he feels Stefano’s arms wrap around his chest from behind.

“Hey,” he says affectionately, shutting off the water and reaching for a dish towel to dry his hands before he turns around to embrace Stefano as well.

Stefano squeezes him tightly, and Sebastian can tell this is more than just a regular hug. “What’s wrong?” He murmurs into Stefano’s hair.

Stefano shakes his head but doesn’t reply.

“Is it about what Lily said earlier?” Sebastian guesses. “I’m really sorry if that upset you. You know I would never rush you on anything like this. You always have a place here with us, but everything else is totally up to you.”

Stefano pushes away slightly so that he can look into Sebastian’s eyes. There is a hint of a smile on his face. “Well if that’s the case,” he says. “Then when are we going to get married?”

Sebastian’s face breaks into a smile as well. “Literally anytime you want,” he replies. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Stefano leans in to kiss him, and when their lips meet it is slow and sweet and tender. When they break apart, Stefano glances over Sebastian’s shoulder and out the window.

“Lily is a very perceptive child,” he observes.

“Too perceptive sometimes,” Sebastian agrees, “but in this case, I’m glad she is.”


	31. Day 31- Vampire Stefano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Vampire! Stefano (smut with Stefano topping)
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content, blood drinking, dubious consent
> 
> Universe: Canon AU

Sebastian is creeping through a darkened corridor of Union’s city hall building, pistol in hand, when he has the very distinctive sense that someone is right behind him. That’s impossible though. He’s cleared this area, and the Lost aren’t known for being particularly quiet, so it must be just his imagination.

Even so, the feeling is vivid, and he turns abruptly to find himself face to face with the photographer. Before he can even extend his arm to take aim, the man is on him, moving faster than humanly possible. In less than a second, his gun is on the floor, his right arm is twisted behind his back, and his face is pressed to the wall.

“What the hell?” growls Sebastian. There is something unnatural about this man’s strength and speed, even inside STEM. He tries to twist out of his grasp, but the man restrains him effortlessly.

“Who are you?” Sebastian asks, panting with the exertion of his failed escape attempt. “ _ What _ are you?”

The photographer chuckles, a low rumble that sends shivers up Sebastian’s spine. “I am Stefano, and as for what I am, you will find out soon enough.”

Sebastian doesn’t like the sound of that at all. “Let go of me!” he snarls, redoubling his efforts to break free, but Stefano only presses his body flush to Sebastian’s and buries his face in Sebastian’s neck.

“I can smell your blood,” he purrs. “It’s exquisite.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sebastian snaps. He has no idea what this freak is talking about, but he’s certainly not planning on giving up any of his blood.

“Be still, Sebastian,” Stefano murmurs. “Let me show you something…”

Sebastian has only a moment to process that Stefano is actually biting down on his neck with razor sharp fangs, only a split-second of pain before he feels a rush of heat and pleasure and excitement that encompasses his entire body. His head is spinning, all of his nerve endings are tingling as though he is being caressed by a thousand hands, and the center of it all- the thing that makes him moan and grind against the wall in front of him- is the place where Stefano’s teeth have pierced his skin.

The feeling subsides as quickly as it began when Stefano releases him, but the damage is done. Sebastian’s head lolls to one side. “Why’d you stop?” he slurs.

Stefano chuckles again and slides one hand between Sebastian and the wall to palm his erection through his pants. Stefano’s hands are as skilled as his mouth, and Sebastian doesn’t even think to protest. “Do you want more, Sebastian?”

“Yes,” Sebastian replies, because a few seconds ago Stefano was making him feel so good he couldn’t think straight, and right now feeling seems a lot more important than thinking. “Please, Stefano…”

“Very well,” Stefano says.

Sebastian feels his body being moved, realizes he is being lowered onto one of the leather couches that line the hall. His clothes are undone, and his skin is exposed, but that’s fine because Stefano is on top of him. Stefano’s hands are everywhere and Stefano’s mouth is everywhere, and it doesn’t even matter that Stefano’s iris is an unnatural iridescent red. Nothing else matters, because everywhere Stefano bites him the pleasure blooms hard and fast.

Stefano is  _ other _ . Stefano isn’t human, but Stefano’s mouth is at his neck, and Stefano’s hand is wrapped around his cock, and Stefano’s fingers are inside him- actually  _ inside _ him- twisting and probing and making him arch up off the couch in ecstasy. It’s lovely and perfect and too much and not enough all at the same time, but there is still one thing bothering him, one tiny worry nagging at the back of his mind.

“Stefano…” he manages to gasp out.

“Hmmm?”

“Are you...are you going to kill me?” He slurs.

“Goodness, no,” Stefano replies, his voice like velvet. “Then the fun would be over before it’s even started.”

“What are you going to do with me?” asks Sebastian.

Stefano leans in close. “Do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. I will take care of you.”

He pulls back for a moment and adjusts his own clothing, and then he is over Sebastian again, gathering him up in his arms. Sebastian is already so relaxed, dizzy with anticipation, and he lets his head fall back, bares his throat to Stefano. Then Stefano’s teeth are piercing his neck, and this time he welcomes the pain because it is followed so closely by pleasure, by the exquisite burn of Stefano’s cock pressing into his body.

He moans, writhes under Stefano because surely this is going to be too much, surely Stefano is going to break him, but Stefano holds him steady and keeps pushing forward until he is buried inside him. He focuses on Stefano’s mouth, on the waves of sensation spreading from it. He is being stretched and molded and shaped by Stefano, but he is adapting, and by the time Stefano pulls out to thrust back in again, he is gasping and pressing against him, his own cock hard between their bodies.

He doesn’t know how much time goes by, whether it is minutes or hours. He is utterly lost in sensation, and he wants to be lost, wants to give up all of himself to Stefano’s mouth and Stefano’s hands and Stefano’s cock. Whatever Stefano is, Sebastian wants more of him.

When his climax comes, it is almost disappointing, because he would have done this forever, would have let Stefano take whatever he wanted from him willingly and without fear. But after that last burst of pleasure, Stefano is pulling away, pulling out. Sebastian groans in protest, reaches for him, and Stefano catches his hand and kisses the back of it.

“We will meet again,” he says. “I assure you.”

Sebastian’s head is spinning, though this time he’s not sure whether it’s from lust or blood loss. He wouldn’t mind meeting Stefano again at all.


	32. Day 32- Sunbathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yes, I know it's not October anymore, but we've still got ten prompts left!)
> 
> Prompt: Sebastian and Stefano are neighbors, and Sebastian catches Stefano sunbathing in the nude.
> 
> Requested by: lemon-kitten
> 
> Warnings: descriptions of nudity, adult situations
> 
> Universe: AU

Sebastian wipes the sweat from his brow. It’s one of his rare days off- and one where he isn’t exhausted from working a night shift- and he’s been using it to catch up on some work around the house. He has mowed the lawn and cleaned the gutters, and now he figures he should probably do something about the rose bushes in front of the house.

Those rose bushes were Myra’s pride and joy, and Sebastian has literally no idea how to take care of them. Since Myra left a year ago they’ve been growing out of control, and Sebastian decides that it’s probably time to take some kind of action before they actually take over the front yard. He may not know where to start, but he can’t help but notice that his next door neighbor’s flower bed is perfectly maintained.

Stefano has been living next door for just a few months, and Sebastian knows very little about him, except that his name is Stefano, he’s Italian, and he’s some kind of artist. He’s also pretty sure that Stefano is taking advantage of today’s nice weather as well, because he saw him come out the back door when he was in the middle of cutting the grass. Surely Stefano won’t mind answering a few gardening questions.

Sebastian approaches the six foot privacy fence that separates their yards and steps up onto the bottom crossbeam so he can pop his head over the fence. “Hey Stefano,” he calls. “Have you got any tips on-”

The words die on his lips, because Stefano is indeed outside, reclining on a lawn chair and completely nude. Sebastian has, on occasion, had the thought that he would not mind seeing more of his attractive European neighbor, but this was not what he meant- at least not consciously.

Stefano is staring up at him, squinting in the bright sunlight and using his hand to shield the one eye that is not obscured by his hair. “Tips on what?” he asks, seemingly unfazed.

“Ummmm…” Sebastian stammers, all thoughts of the rose bushes gone from his head in an instant. Even in its relaxed state, Stefano’s body is impressive. Sebastian doesn’t know how he stays fit as an artist, but he is lightly muscled, lean in all the right places, and he has a perfect tan… maybe because he spends so much time lying out in his yard naked.

Sebastian swallows hard, wondering how long this has been going on when he wasn’t here to see it. His eyes make their way slowly from Stefano’s mouth down his neck to the hollow of his throat, to his collarbone where beads of sweat are clinging to his skin, then farther down his chest, which is dusted with hair, to the muscles of his abdomen and then down to-

“Sebastian,” Stefano prompts, and Sebastian’s eyes jerk back up to his face. “You were asking for tips on something.”

Sebastian’s mouth is suddenly very dry, and his voice comes out hoarse. “I...you…” He is suddenly aware that he is blushing furiously.

Stefano sighs deeply in a way that makes his chest heave so enticingly Sebastian can’t tear his eyes away. “Is something wrong?”

Sebastian wets his lips, then does his best to answer. “You’re...uh...you know...naked.” He gestures at Stefano’s body, trying hard to keep his eyes away from the parts of Stefano he really wants to inspect.

Stefano raises an eyebrow. “Really?” he says, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I mean, anyone could come along and see you,” Sebastian points out, feeling a pang of jealousy that Stefano is putting himself on display for the entire neighborhood.

“Yes,” Stefano agrees, “anyone who comes along and climbs up on the fence could see me. Would you believe this is the first time that’s happened?”

“Point taken,” Sebastian says, because Stefano is still being sarcastic of course. “But still, if you’re going to lie around in the yard like this, someone’s going to see you.”

Stefano shrugs. “And so what if they do? You seem to be the only one who is bothered by it.”

“I’m not bothered,” Sebastian answers reflexively. “I’m…” What is he? Flustered? Embarrassed? Aroused beyond belief at seeing so much of Stefano on display? “I’m just looking out for you,” he finishes.

“That’s very kind,” Stefano says, “but I’m quite capable of looking out for myself. Was there something you wanted?”

It is at that moment that Sebastian loses the battle with his baser instincts, and his eyes continue right down Stefano’s body. He catches himself, but not before he has a chance to find out that Stefano keeps himself as well-groomed as his flowerbed. There is definitely something he wants, but he’s not about to tell Stefano what it is.

“Uh...yeah,” he says, realizing Stefano is still waiting for an answer. “Do you...ummm... do you want a beer or something?”

“It’s ten in the morning,” Stefano says, raising his visible eyebrow. “But perhaps a less alcoholic refreshment would be in order.”

“Right,” Sebastian says. “I’ve got some lemonade in the house.” He holds up a hand. “Just don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

He swears he can see Stefano stifling a laugh behind his hand as he steps down from the fence and hurries back to the house to get two glasses of lemonade.

When he returns, Stefano has dutifully stayed in place, lounging in his chair and seemingly quite at ease with his nudity. This time Sebastian comes through the gate so that he can hand the glass to Stefano.

“Why don’t you sit down,” Stefano suggests, gesturing at the lawn chair opposite him. “That is, if you’re willing to comply with the dress code.” He winks.

Sebastian takes a deep breath. “Uh...okay,” he says with a nervous laugh. “When in Rome…”

“My dear Sebastian, I don’t think you’re ready to take on Rome yet,” Stefano replies with a smile. “But you are always welcome here.”


	33. Day 33- Sebastian Working for Slade (Soft Focus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sebastian enters Slade's employment in order to protect Stefano.
> 
> Requested by: miyukichronicles
> 
> Warnings: non-consensual sex, drugged sex, forced prostitution, explicit language, explicit sexual content, general bad stuff
> 
> Universe: Soft Focus AU

He’s doing this for Stefano.

That’s what he tells himself as he drops to his knees on the floor in front of Slade. He catches just a glimpse of the lecherous smirk on Slade’s face before he focuses his attention on the task at hand.

He licks his lips nervously, starts to reach for Slade’s belt, but hesitates.

“What’s the matter?” Slade says. His voice is harsh, mocking, and he grabs Sebastian’s chin in a grip that makes it all too clear that Sebastian belongs to him now. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done this before.”

Indeed, Sebastian has never done this before, but he sure as hell isn’t going to give Slade the satisfaction of knowing that he is Sebastian’s first. It takes everything he has not to tell Slade to go fuck himself, but he steels his nerves and when he meets Slade’s eyes, his gaze is steady. “Let me show you what I can do.”

Slade gives a curt nod and releases him. “Get on with it then.”

Sebastian unbuckles Slade’s belt, unfastens his pants, and reaches inside to free his cock from his pants and underwear. The whole experience is so surreal, so far beyond any experience he’s ever had, that he has to take a moment to ground himself, remind himself that it’s just a cock, that there’s nothing inherently wrong with what he’s doing even though he’s doing it under the worst possible circumstances.

Slade is already half-hard, and Sebastian holds him in his hand, swallows hard, and bows his head to take him in his mouth.

He’s doing this for Stefano.

Despite the bravado he had when he proposed this plan to Slade, Sebastian actually has no idea what he’s doing, and he frantically tries to recall what it was that Stefano did to him the other night here on this same couch, how Stefano brought him so quickly to arousal, so quickly to climax, because he needs this to be over soon. Slade’s cock is thick and heavy in his mouth, stretches his jaw uncomfortably, and tastes like it- and probably the rest of Slade- could use a bath.

Sebastian tries to slide his lips up and down, tries to use his tongue the proper way, but he’s not at all sure that he’s doing it right. He’s about to reevaluate his approach when Slade grabs his head with both hands, thrusting deep into Sebastian’s mouth so that Sebastian gags. He tries to flinch away as Slade’s cock hits the back of his throat, but Slade holds him firmly.

“Oh fuck yeah,” he groans, driving himself into Sebastian’s throat over and over again. Sebastian gasps for air, feels his eyes start to water. He wants Slade’s cock out of his mouth, wants to be out of Slade’s house, wants to have nothing to do with Slade ever again. His hands scrabble at the couch on either side of Slade as he fights the urge to just shove himself away as hard as he can. His heart is racing, but he forces himself to hold still, forces his mouth and throat to relax.

He’s doing this for Stefano.

After a few more minutes of jerking his head around and fucking his mouth and growling increasingly vulgar things at him, Slade goes rigid, arching up off the couch, and comes into his mouth. Sebastian swallows his seed without question, then waits, head bowed, as he’s seen Stefano do before.

“Fucking sweet mouth you’ve got,” Slade says, still breathing heavily. He slaps Sebastian lightly on the cheek and Sebastian jumps.

“That reminds me,” Slade says. “You’ve earned a reward.” He tucks himself back into his pants and shifts down the couch so that he can lay out a line of white powder on the coffee table. “It’ll help you relax.”

Sebastian eyes the powder warily. “I...uh...I don’t really want to-”

“Yes, you do,” Slade interrupts. “Trust me- you’re gonna need it. I’ve got to try out your ass next.”

The words don’t come as a surprise to Sebastian, but they still fill him with dread. He remembers what Stefano has told him about the drug, how it makes these acts bearable, how it helps him relax, how it helps him forget. Sebastian hopes it will be enough. He takes the rolled-up dollar bill Slade offers him, leans over the table, and snorts the line of powder before he has time to lose his nerve.

He’s doing this for Stefano.

Every beat of his heart, every rush of air into his lungs, is magnified a hundred times, and he focuses on them, retreats deeper into his own body as Slade bends him forward over the couch and takes down his pants. There is more after that- pain and pressure and stretching, Slade’s fingers and probably Slade’s cock, and Riker’s forearm across his back pinning him to the couch, but it’s hazy, indistinct, like a dark, sickening story about someone else.

“Yeah, you’ll do fine,” Slade grunts when it’s finally over.

He is vaguely aware of being carried upstairs, of being deposited none too gently onto a dirty mattress, of having the thought that maybe, just maybe, he can have a moment to himself.

The door creaks open behind him, and Sebastian is too tired and in too much pain to turn over and see who it is. He can only brace himself for whatever indignity is coming next. There are footsteps on the floor, and the mattress dips behind him. A hand brushes his hair back from his face, and it’s Stefano’s voice in his ear this time.

“Sebastian?”

Sebastian turns his head slightly to look up at Stefano. He can’t summon the energy to speak, and his throat is so bruised and sore that he isn’t sure he could make a sound anyway. Stefano lies down behind him, molding his body to Sebastian’s and wrapping his arms around Sebastian’s chest.

“Oh, Sebastian,” he murmurs. “What have you done?”

He’s doing this for Stefano.


	34. Day 34- Two Sebastians (Catalyst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In Catalyst AU, Anima shows Stefano a vision of Sebastian who wants to hurt him, and Stefano has to ask questions to determine which Sebastian is the real one. (Reference was a scene from another game that I won't name here because I don't want to spoil anything.)
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: mild language, threatened/implied violence
> 
> Universe: Catalyst AU (takes place after Stefano fights Theodore but before he escapes STEM)

When Stefano moves from Sykes’ safehouse to the Marrow, he’s relieved to see that at least the structure of this place doesn’t seem to be crumbling like the rest of Union. He hasn’t even left the room when his luck takes an abrupt turn for the worse. The eerie singing echoes down the hallway, and he shivers, whirling to face the door.

“Damn it all,” he mutters under his breath. She can’t come in here. There is nowhere to hide, and he is not giving up now, not after all he’s been through. He has defeated Theodore, escaped the wreckage of Union, and left his beloved Obscura behind, and now all that is left to do is get to the escape pod and make his last desperate attempt to reunite with Sebastian. He’s not going to lose it all now to fear and despair or whatever darkness it is that the ghost woman carries with her.

The singing is getting closer, and he freezes in place, holds his breath, and waits for the door to open. It doesn’t. The ghost woman just phases right through it and into the room with him. She flies at him with an inhuman shriek, and he braces himself for the worst, but in the next moment she is gone and the room appears to be just as it was before.

Except that it’s not quite right. He can see his breath in the air, there is a prickle of static in the back of his mind, and from somewhere far away, the eerie refrain reaches his ears. She’s still here.

The door swings open, and Stefano can’t believe what he sees. Relief rushes through him. “Sebastian?”

Sebastian is dressed exactly as he was when Stefano last saw him, but there is a hard look in his eyes, and his lip is curled slightly into a snarl. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to be happy to see me after what you did to Lily.”

Stefano doesn’t say anything at first, because something is wrong. This isn’t Sebastian. This isn’t even the Sebastian he saw in Theodore’s dungeon, who was doing his best to act angry. This Sebastian actually hates him, actually wants to hurt him. Stefano can see it written all over his face. “Who are you?” Stefano asks coldly.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” ‘Sebastian’ answers. “You will be nothing when I’m done with you.”

He draws his pistol and points it at Stefano’s head.

“No!”

‘Sebastian’ whirls around to face the source of the new voice, and Stefano looks past him to see that yet another Sebastian has come through the door. This one lunges and tackles the first Sebastian to the ground. The gun flies from his hand and skitters across the floor. Stefano grabs it, then looks on in horror as the two Sebastians roll over and over, grappling for control.

They’re each getting in a few punches, but neither one is clearly winning, and Stefano fears what will happen if the dark, angry version of Sebastian prevails. He has no doubt that what he has seen is one of the ghost woman’s illusions, but the other one, the one who came to his rescue, must be the real Sebastian, and that Sebastian is now unarmed and in danger.

“Stop it!” Stefano shouts, point the gun at the men on the floor. They pause in their struggling long enough to see the gun in Stefano’s hand.

“Whoa,” one of them says, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hold on Stefano.”

The other one is making the exact same hand signal. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“Get up,” directs Stefano. The full impact of the situation is now hitting him, because he has no idea which one of them is the real Sebastian.

Both Sebastians get to their feet, eyes locked on Stefano and hands raised.

“Okay,” says the one on the left, “now shoot him!”

“What?” snaps the one on the right. He looks imploringly at Stefano. “Stefano, it’s me.” He points at the other Sebastian. “He’s the one you need to shoot.”

“Hold on,” Stefano stays, his mind reeling. “Give me a moment to think.”

He may not be able to tell them apart by how they look, but he knows his Sebastian, and his Sebastian knows things that no one else would. It’s not much, but it’s the only idea he has.

He turns to the Sebastian on the right. “How many brothers did I have?”

“Two,” that Sebastian answers.

“Hey,” the one on the left protests. “I knew that too! And besides we’re in STEM. Everyone’s minds are linked together.”

Stefano frowns, because he does have a point.

“Stefano,” the one on the left says. “Look at me. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

Stefano is looking at him, but he’s still not sure he can believe a word he says. He narrows his eye. “Who have you loved besides Myra?” he asks.

“You, of course,” the Sebastian on the left answers.

Stefano raises an eyebrow and turns to the Sebastian on the right.

“Joseph,” that Sebastian says simply, and just like that it’s perfectly clear which Sebastian is telling him the truth and which one is only trying to manipulate him the way Theodore did. He is through with being manipulated. He points the gun at the one on the left and pulls the trigger.

Instantly, the static and the cold and the distant singing are gone. The dark version of Sebastian disappears.

The real Sebastian grabs his hand. “Come on,” he says. “Kidman’s extracting Lily right now. We’ve got to hurry!”

Stefano follows him out into the hall. “You came back for me?”

Sebastian turns to face him. “Yeah,” he replies. “I didn’t really get to finish answering your last question, but I do have some pretty strong feelings about you.”

“We can talk about your feelings later,” Stefano says with a vague smile. “Let’s get out of here.”


	35. Day 35- PTSD (Catalyst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano catches sight of Sebastian holding a chisel (for reasons unrelated to the events of the story), and it triggers a PTSD episode.
> 
> Requested by: dreamlind
> 
> Warnings: PTSD, references to past violence/trauma
> 
> Universe: Catalyst (post-story)

“Sebastian?”

Stefano opens the door that connects the house to the garage. He hesitates to bother Sebastian, but Sebastian has been in the garage for almost two hours without making a sound, and Stefano is starting to get a little concerned.

They picked up eight or ten boxes yesterday from Sebastian’s family home on the other side of the state. Apparently there were some things that the auction house conducting the estate sale didn’t want- some books and clothes and old tools that had been languishing in the garage. Sebastian has been handling everything remarkably well for someone who has a tendency to be melancholy. Of course, his mother had been very ill for some time and his father died years ago, so perhaps he had enough time to prepare for the inevitable.

All the same, Stefano can only imagine that going through his father’s old tools might dredge up some memories for Sebastian, and maybe it’s time to check on him to make sure that he hasn’t fallen down a rabbit hole of nostalgia or found something else to feel guilty about. Sebastian can almost always find something to feel guilty about.

Sebastian is facing his worktable, but he turns around when Stefano enters. Stefano freezes, his gaze fixed on the object in Sebastian’s hand. The rest of the room fades away as his eye moves up and down the chisel, the wooden handle, the well-worn blade.

He can feel his heart beating, can feel the blood pounding in his veins, can feel it spurting out under the blade. It’s not even the blood, not even the feeling of his life, his consciousness ebbing away. It’s the knowledge that he is trapped, that he will be here forever, revived again and again to suffer as many times as they wish. This time there will be no escape. There will be no end.

He can’t breathe. He can’t move. There are hands on him, but he doesn’t fight them. There is no point in resisting.

“Stefano.”

It’s a voice he knows, but it seems unimportant right now, as immersed as he is in fear and cold and the anticipation of pain.

“Stefano.”

The voice is soft and gentle, as gentle as the hands that are on his shoulders. It must be a trick. No one would touch him like this unless there is something they want from him.

“Stefano.”

Sebastian is kneeling in front of him, hands braced on his shoulders, and he is sitting on the steps that lead down into their garage. He’s here in their home, and undoubtedly he’s just made a complete fool of himself. He pulls away, grabs the door frame, and hauls himself to his feet. Sebastian lets him go. He makes it as far as the living room before a wave of exhaustion sweeps over him and he sinks onto the couch, face buried in his hands.

“Stefano.” He can tell Sebastian is kneeling in front of him again, but he can’t bear to look at him right now.

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian says.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Stefano snaps, embarrassment and frustration flaring up as he raises his head to look at Sebastian. “You didn’t do anything! No one did anything!”

“Hey,” Sebastian murmurs, placing a hand on his knee. “It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not!” Stefano shoots back. He knows it’s not alright, and the worst part is there is no reason for it to not be alright. He rakes a hand through his hair and heaves a sigh. “You and Lily have been so wonderful, and I don’t know why I can’t get past this.”

Sebastian moves in a little closer to wrap his arms around Stefano’s waist, and Stefano lets his own arms rest on Sebastian’s shoulders.

“Give it time,” Sebastian says, voice muffled by Stefano’s chest. “These things don’t get better overnight.”

“One would think two years would be enough time,” Stefano says, not bothering to conceal the bitterness in his voice.

Sebastian loosens his grip and pulls back a little to look at him. “I can understand how what you just saw would be upsetting even after two years,” he says, “and I think you can understand that too.”

Stefano doesn’t understand it. He acknowledges it. He knows it is something he has to deal with, but he doesn’t understand it. There was a time he felt so much less, and perhaps part of him longs to return to that state. He shakes his head.

Sebastian raises a hand. “Can I…?”

Stefano nods, and closes his eye as Sebastian’s fingers trail down his cheek and Sebastian’s thumb brushes over his lips and Sebastian leans up to kiss him on the forehead.

“Even if it doesn’t makes sense to you,” Sebastian says. “Be patient with yourself. I won’t let anyone rush you on this- not even you.”

Stefano’s mouth twitches as he tries not to smile. Leave it to Sebastian to come up with a rule that is mostly nonsense and also impossible to enforce.

“I mean it,” Sebastian says in a mock-serious tone. “No one rushes the man I love.”

Stefano almost laughs at that, because Sebastian loves making these grand romantic declarations. Even if they sometimes sound a little silly, Stefano knows that he means every word. He hides his amusement by pulling Sebastian in for another kiss.

“I think I’m just going to donate those tools,” Sebastian says when they separate. “I don’t really like looking at them either.”

“In that case,” Stefano says, “maybe this is a better place to spend the rest of the afternoon.” He gestures to the couch.

“I can’t argue with that,” Sebastian says, climbing up next to him.

It only takes seconds for Stefano to get comfortable in Sebastian’s arms. The dark memories are still there, and maybe they never will be completely gone, but when he is lying on the couch with Sebastian, they seem much farther away. Perhaps Sebastian is right about giving it time.


	36. Day 36- Sebastian's Apology (Stefano's Bedroom)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: After the events of Stefano's bedroom, Sebastian feels guilty about what happened and decides to wake Stefano up with oral sex by way of apology, but then Stefano tells him that he was enjoying it the whole time.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit sexual content, references to dubious consent
> 
> Universe: Stefano's Bedroom (post-story)

Once Stefano is untied and rubbed down and curled up on his side under the covers, he is out like a light, but Sebastian is wide awake. It’s not just because of Lily and Kidman either. There is something more immediate on his mind.

Stefano sighs in his sleep and rolls over to face Sebastian, burying himself in the crook of Sebastian’s neck. It’s such a simple gesture, and the trust it conveys, even when Stefano is unconscious, makes Sebastian’s chest ache, because he hasn’t exactly treated Stefano in a way that merits that kind of trust.

The first time he can sort of justify, because he needed to get information, needed to find Lily, and he couldn’t stomach the possibility of actually torturing Stefano. The idea of inflicting pain on someone who was tied down and completely unable to resist him was too much, but was what he actually did any better?

Sebastian tries to comfort himself with the thought that Stefano seemed to be enjoying himself, but it’s entirely possible that he was just making the best of a bad situation or that Sebastian was simply pushing the right buttons to make Stefano’s body respond, even if he had no desire to participate.

The second time was no better. It’s true that he struck some kind of bargain with Stefano, that Stefano agreed to submit to him again, but did Stefano really have any other choice? Stripped of his powers, Stefano would have had little chance of escaping Union on his own. It’s almost the same as if Sebastian had put a gun to his head before asking him to make the decision.

And of course, there’s the fact that he might have been having a little fun of his own with Stefano. All of the touching and teasing and bringing Stefano right to the edge only to deny him release at the last moment probably wasn’t strictly necessary, and Sebastian has to admit that it was purely for him. He was the one getting off on watching Stefano squirm and struggle and beg for relief, and looking back, it all seems very unfair.

He can’t undo what has been done, but he can do something about it now- something that is purely for Stefano and might serve as a sort of apology for giving him a hard time earlier.

He eases out of Stefano’s arms and slides down underneath the sheet. Stefano is still gloriously naked, and Sebastian drinks in the sight of him, even if it is tempered slightly by the bruises and bite marks from their previous sessions. It’s no use feeling guilty now though. He has a job to do.

He moves down until his face is level with Stefano’s groin. Stefano’s cock is soft, undoubtedly spent from the workout Sebastian gave it earlier, but he’s confident he can revive it if he starts slowly and gently enough. This time is just about making Stefano feel good.

He leans in, bringing his mouth to Stefano’s cock and trailing little kisses along the shaft. He works his way up and down, kissing and lapping softly with his tongue as he presses his face closer to Stefano’s belly.

Stefano’s cock gives the first twitch of interest, and Sebastian takes the head carefully into his mouth, massaging with his lips and tongue. Stefano smells amazing, tastes amazing, and Sebastian is starting to get hard himself. This isn’t about him though.

He swirls his tongue around Stefano’s cock, then sucks more firmly. It’s still pretty light, but apparently it’s enough, because Stefano lets out a little whimper and pushes his hips toward Sebastian.

Sebastian hums in approval, sweeping his tongue over Stefano’s cock again, and then Stefano is clearly awake and moaning his name. His fingers tangle in Sebastian’s hair, and one of his legs comes up to rest on Sebastian’s shoulder, drawing Sebastian in even closer. Stefano is getting hard now as well, and Sebastian is able to take more of him in his mouth, to put his tongue to even better use.

Stefano’s grip on his hair tightens. “Please Sebastian,” he breathes. Sebastian’s hands are on Stefano’s hips now, and he can feel him trembling under his touch, fully hard and ready for more.

It’s been a little while since Sebastian has done this, but he does know a few tricks. He draws Stefano in even deeper, relaxing his throat to allow Stefano’s cock to push past those muscles. Stefano cries out and arches against him, and Sebastian feels like he’s close to coming himself just from hearing Stefano like this.

He swallows, lets the movements of his throat stimulate Stefano even further, and Stefano is gasping and sighing and writhing against him. Sebastian wishes he could keep this up forever, but he does have to breathe occasionally. He reluctantly pulls back, keeping Stefano’s cock in his mouth so that he can still run his tongue along it.

“Oh, Sebastian,” Stefano breathes, and the hands in his hair are petting now more so than holding him.

He licks and sucks and bobs his head up and down, and Stefano is breathing harder, squirming against him, chanting his name and ‘god’ and ‘please’. Sebastian has seen Stefano come twice already, and he knows by his body language when he’s getting close. He redoubles his efforts, taking Stefano in deep again and massaging with his throat, because he wants Stefano to know that this time isn’t about manipulating him or frustrating him or seeing him struggle. This time it’s only about Stefano’s pleasure, and Sebastian keeps at it until Stefano is clutching at his hair and coming down his throat with a groan.

“What was that?” Stefano asks, as soon as he has caught his breath.

“An apology,” Sebastian says, remembering why he had this idea in the first place.

Stefano’s fingers groom through his hair affectionately. “No apology necessary,” he says, voice soft and dreamy. “I enjoyed the first two times just as much as that one.”


	37. Day 37- Emily's Grave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sebastian encounters Stefano at a replica of Emily's grave inside a painting in Union and sees an uncharacteristic show of emotion from Stefano that changes his mind about what approach to take in dealing with the photographer (Stefano didn't kill Emily).
> 
> Requested by: DreamLinD
> 
> Warnings: grief/mourning, references to canonical character death
> 
> Universe: Canon AU
> 
> Prompt also included art (below) by [DreamLinD](https://dreamlind.tumblr.com/). Check out their tumblr!

The photograph catches Sebastian’s attention immediately. Not only is it taller than Sebastian himself and the only point of interest in this particular room, but the image it depicts is so different from everything else Sebastian has seen in Stefano’s gallery.

Sebastian has become familiar with Stefano’s style, with blood and gore and human bodies twisted into unnatural configurations, but this new picture is nothing like that. It depicts a stone marker, which can only be a gravestone, on a cliff beside the ocean. Sebastian is mesmerized by the image, by the tranquility and sorrow it conveys, and he finds himself walking closer and closer until he is within arm’s reach of the picture, and then he is reaching out his arm to touch it, to be pulled in the same way he was with the photographs in the hotel and the bar.

He can feel the wind on his face, can hear the waves lapping at the base of the cliff, because now he is standing in the very spot the photograph depicted. It is just as peaceful as he imagined it would be, which seems strange after the way he’s been racing around Union trying to track down Stefano and Lily.

The gravestone is in front of him, and he moves in close enough to read the inscription: Emily Lewis. Sebastian remembers that name, remembers the young woman who was found decapitated in Krimson Park all those years ago, and he remembers finding the newspaper clipping about her in City Hall. She was Stefano’s model...but was she also his victim?

The sound of footsteps on the gravel path behind him sends Sebstian diving into a nearby bush. He crouches there, waiting to see who is coming and whether they are going to pose a threat to him.

It’s Stefano himself who comes into view on the path. He is walking slowly, as if he’s in a bit of a trance himself, and in his hands are red roses, much like the ones Sebastian saw in the room with the mannequin at City Hall. He is wondering if there is some connection when Stefano approaches the gravestone and kneels down to place the roses at the base of it. Stefano sighs deeply and sits back on his heels, still looking at the gravestone.

“My dearest Emily,” he says. “It has been six years since I last saw you.” He pauses. “Six years I have spent alone.” He draws in a deep, shuddering breath, and when he speaks again, his voice is tight. “I have come back to see you, just as I promised I would.”

He raises his hands to shield his face, and his next breath is more of a sob. Sebastian is dumbfounded at this display of emotion from Stefano. Didn’t Hoffman say that he was a psychopath? That he was incapable of emotion or at least incapable of understanding the emotions of others? And yet, here he is, crying over the grave of a woman who died over six years ago, keeping a promise he made to her. The man in front of him is so far removed from the Stefano that Sebastian has come to know in Union that he doesn’t know how to reconcile the two.

“You did not keep your promise though,” Stefano says through his tears. “You promised that you would never leave me...that I would never be alone.”

Sebastian’s heart is breaking for Stefano, because he knows this kind of loss himself, knows how it feels to talk to someone who will never answer back, knows the absolute emptiness of the silence that follows Stefano’s words.

“Why did you leave me?” Stefano continues. “My dearest Emily...my only friend.” He buries his face in his hands again and weeps, and even though he is an enemy, even though he has taken Lily and murdered dozens of people and corrupted Union, something in Sebastian softens. This man is grieving. This man is in pain, and even though Sebastian is a little bit worried that he might be about to get stabbed, he has to do something.

He stands up and steps out of the bushes. “Stefano?”

Stefano whips around and scrambles to his feet. Predictably, he doesn’t look happy to be disturbed. “What are you doing here?”

Sebastian raises his hands in a pacifying gesture. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t know what this was. I just found the picture and…” He isn’t sure how to finish the sentence, but Stefano nods.

“Is this...is this a real place?” Sebastian asks.

“No,” Stefano replies. “The gravestone is real, but it is in Krimson Cemetery. I thought Emily deserved a much grander place than that. And she always talked about how she wanted to live by the sea.”

“It’s beautiful,” Sebastian says. An unasked question hangs in the air between them.

“I didn’t kill her,” Stefano finally says.

Sebastian nods. “I believe you.” Now that he’s seen how much Stefano is grieving Emily, he finds it hard to believe that he was responsible for her death. He also sees an opening to make an appeal to Stefano’s better nature.

“You know, the way you were just talking to Emily?” he begins. “It’s how I used to talk to Lily.”

Stefano frowns. “What do you mean?”

“When I thought she was dead,” Sebastian explains. “I used to talk to her every night before I went to sleep. Sometimes I felt like I was going crazy...talking to someone who I knew would never answer me.”

Stefano nods in understanding, and Sebastian looks him right in the eye.

“Please, Stefano,” he says. “I thought I’d lost her once. I can’t lose her again.”

Stefano seems to deliberate for a few seconds, but then he says, “Very well. I will take you to her. What then?”

“Then we come up with a plan to get all of us out of Union,” Sebastian says.

“All of us?” Stefano asks.

“All of us,” Sebastian replies.


	38. Day 38- Artistic Nudity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano decides to try some more "adult" work featuring himself, much to Sebastian's enjoyment.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content
> 
> Universe: any AU in which Seb and Stefano both escape STEM and live together

“Sebastian, may I ask your opinion on something?” Stefano asks, leaning over the back of Sebastian’s armchair.

“Sure,” Sebastian says, turning his head to kiss Stefano. It’s a pleasant surprise to see Stefano out of his studio so early in the evening. When he is engrossed in a project, he sometimes won’t emerge until after Sebastian has gone to bed. Sebastian wouldn’t dream of interrupting him when he is hard at work, but the house can be a little lonely when Stefano is so preoccupied.

Stefano returns the kiss, but pulls back when Sebastian tries to deepen it. “Maybe later,” he says with a vague smile. “I need you to look at this first.” There is a gleam in his eye that Sebastian has seen before, and now he really is curious to see whatever it is that Stefano wants to show him.

“Okay,” Sebastian replies, trying not to look overeager. “What is it?”

Stefano hands him a photograph, and Sebastian’s heart promptly stops beating. The photograph is of Stefano himself, utterly naked and sprawled out across one of his red leather couches. Even though Sebastian gets to see Stefano naked in their bedroom quite often, he can’t take his eyes off the photo, and he drinks in all of it- the smooth, pale skin, the dusting of dark hair, the expression on Stefano’s face.

That expression in particular gets his attention, because he’s seen it before, when Stefano is under him or on top of him or inside him. It’s arousal, and when Sebastian’s eyes trail back down Stefano’s body, he can see that Stefano’s beautiful cock is lying heavy and erect against his belly.

Stefano is saying something- asking a question probably- and Sebastian knows that Stefano is speaking English, knows that he is supposed to respond, but he can’t make sense of the words. Instead, he simply stares at the picture with a dry mouth and a heart that is hammering in his chest.

“Sebastian,” Stefano prompts. “Do you think the lighting is too harsh?”

“I...what?”

Stefano sighs. “The lighting, Sebastian.”

Sebastian wets his lips and finally manages to tear his eyes away from the photograph to look at Stefano. “How the hell am I supposed to look at the lighting when you’re...when you’re…” He gestures at the photo.

“...artistically nude?” Stefano suggests.

“Any kind of nude!” Sebastian sputters.

“It’s not as though you haven’t seen all of that before,” Stefano points out.

“I know, I know,” Sebastian says. “It’s just...I don’t know. It’s just different.” 

“Well,” Stefano says with a knowing look, “if that one is too much, then I suppose you won’t want to see the rest of the series.”

“There’s a series?” Sebastian blurts out, staring at Stefano in disbelief. If the other photos are anything like the first one, he’s not sure how much more of this he can take.

“Yes,” Stefano says. “I was hoping you would take a look at all of them. This is a bit of a new style for me, and I would appreciate some feedback.”

“I guess if you really need the feedback, I could look at a few more,” Sebastian says, not bothering to disguise his eagerness this time.

“Would you?” Stefano says. “That would be a great help.”

Sebastian can tell that Stefano is baiting him, but right now he doesn’t care. He takes the stack of photographs Stefano hands him and looks at the first one. It’s still of Stefano on the couch, but now he is looking directly at the camera and biting his lip enticingly.

“Fuck,” groans Sebastian. “Are you trying to kill me?” Stefano doesn’t answer, and Sebastian flips to the next photo, where Stefano’s eye is half-lidded and his hand is caressing his chest.

Sebastian’s dry-mouth has returned, and he’s finding it a little hard to breathe, because in each of the next few pictures, Stefano’s hands are moving farther and farther down his body. When he finally reaches the one where Stefano’s hand is wrapped around his cock, he lets out a little groan of relief.

“Everything alright, Sebastian?” Stefano asks.

“Yeah,” Sebastian says, trying to ignore the tremor in his own voice. “I’m fine. I...uh...I like your new style.”

“I’m not sure you’re qualified to voice an opinion yet,” Stefano says. “You haven’t even been through half of them.”

Sebastian swallows hard and turns his attention back to the photographs, which aren’t getting any tamer as he continues to flip through them. In the still images, he watches as Stefano strokes himself to full hardness, head thrown back against the couch in ecstasy, watches as his fingers move down even farther to press inside himself, watches as he shifts position until he is on his hands and knees, giving Sebastian a tantalizingly unobstructed view of his entire body. He watches as Stefano turns back toward the camera, beckoning with one finger, even though Sebastian needs no further encouragement.

“What do you think?” Stefano asks when Sebastian has looked at the last photo.

Sebastian is rock hard, as he has been for the last several photos. There is something about seeing Stefano like this that makes him burn, that makes him ache. It’s not just lust either. There is an intense, desperate need to possess, to stake his claim. He doesn’t often feel jealous, but the idea that these photos exist, that someone besides him could see them, drives his passion to new heights.

He locks eyes with Stefano. “Upstairs. Now.”

He doesn’t have to tell Stefano twice, and once they are in the privacy of their bedroom, the show that Stefano puts on for him makes it clear that the photo session was just a warm-up. It leaves Sebastian panting and sweaty, but utterly sated.

“I take it you approve of the new style?” Stefano asks him afterward.

“I’m not sure I have enough information to decide yet,” Sebastian replies playfully. “Do you have any more of your work I can look at?”


	39. Day 39- Plagas Sebastian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano injects Sebastian with an RE4-style plagas in order make him compliant.
> 
> Requested by: miyukichronicles
> 
> Warnings: mind control
> 
> Universe: canon AU

Words and sensations drift in and out of his head like a half-remembered dream.

“Sebastian.” It’s the photographer’s voice...Stefano. Is that his name? “You had to make this difficult.”

There is a hand in his hair, tugging his head to the side, a sharp pain in his neck, then gentle fingers that soothe the pain away.

“Now that you have our gift, it is only a matter of time…”

  
  
  
  


Sebastian jolts awake, sitting up at his desk and looking around the room, eyes wild. For a moment, he is almost convinced that he is in his old office at KCPD, that everything is back to normal, but then he glances at the bulletin board to his right and sees the information Kidman sent him on the Mobius team members and Stefano Valentini. Things are about as far from normal as they can get.

He stands, trying in vain to remember how he got here. He was in City Hall looking for Stefano, and he is sure he met the photographer, though he can’t recall any details. His sore muscles and terrible headache also provide little information, but there is nothing to do now but press on. He isn’t sure how, but he knows that his next destination must be the theatre in the business district.

  
  
  
  


He doesn’t see Stefano again until he is sucked into the photograph in the backroom of the bar. He finds himself quite suddenly in one of the dark, maze-like hallways of Stefano’s gallery, and he’s only gone a few steps when the artist himself appears before him in a flash of blue light.

“Sebastian,” he says with a suspiciously engaging smile. “How delightful to see you again. Are you feeling better?”

This catches Sebastian off-guard, because no one in Union has expressed any concern for his well-being, and in fact, most of them seem to be trying to kill him. And then there’s the question of how Stefano knew he wasn’t feeling well in the first place. He frowns. “Why do you care?”

Stefano’s smile doesn’t waver. “Because soon you and I will be working together.”

“There’s no way in hell,” Sebastian snaps. “I’d never work with you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Stefano says just before he vanishes in another flash of blue light.

The encounter leaves Sebastian with a bad taste in his mouth, but he shrugs it off and continues through the gallery until he reaches the thing he is supposed to destroy, the twisted mass of flesh that might once have resembled something human. He feels a pang of conscience when he looks at it. It’s intriguing in its own way, and it seems a shame to damage it, but of course that is why he came here. 

It takes an unusual amount of strength to raise the knife, as though his body is fighting him, and when he sinks it into the sculpture, it almost feels as though he has buried it in his own chest.

  
  
  
  


The second sculpture, the one behind the picture in the hotel, proves just as straightforward to locate, even if Sebastian does have to sneak around and avoid Obscura to reach it. He has just grasped the handle of his knife when he hesitates, gives the sculpture another look, because this one really is beautiful, even if he doesn’t fully understand it.  _ Surely it would be cruel to destroy something like this, to destroy someone’s creation _ .

He shakes his head as if to clear it, because those last couple of thoughts didn’t feel like his own, but they are somehow compelling. They’ve taken up residence unbidden in his head, and even now, he’s not sure they’re wrong.

Maybe he doesn’t have to destroy this...maybe there’s some other way...but no, he needs to draw out the artist to get to Lily, and so he raises the knife. Or he tries to. His hand is on the handle, but his arm is frozen in place, stiff and unresponsive. He grits his teeth and tries again, but nothing happens.

“Is something wrong, Sebastian?”

He doesn’t have to turn around to know that it’s Stefano behind him. Rage flares up in his chest, and it spurs him to action. He rips the knife from the sheath and plunges it into the sculpture.

It hurts-  _ physically hurts _ \- him, and he and Stefano gasp in unison. Sebastian sways on the spot and drops to one knee on the floor, then looks up to see Stefano doing the same.

“No,” he answers when he has finally caught his breath. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Stefano flashes another mysterious smile before he gets to his feet and disappears.

  
  
  
  


When he next sees Stefano on the stage, something stirs inside him, a kind of vague, formless longing. Stefano exudes raw power, and he wants to tap into that power- no, he is already part of that power, if only he will let himself access it.

“It’s alright,” Stefano says, as though he can hear Sebastian’s internal struggle playing out. “We are the same now, you and I. We share the same blood, and we have the same goal.”

_ No _ , Sebastian wants to say, but by the time he opens his mouth, the thought has left his mind, never to return.

Stefano descends from the stage and approaches him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. Something inside him thrills at that touch. Something inside him resonates at the same frequency as Stefano, and Sebastian instinctively presses closer.

“I knew you would be ready,” Stefano says, sounding pleased. Sebastian doesn’t know what he is supposed to be ready for, until suddenly he does. His mind is filled with visions of power, of what they will do with that power, of what Union will become.

“Come with me now, Sebastian,” Stefano says. “We will rule Union together.”

Sebastian doesn’t have to ‘come with’ Stefano. Sebastian _is_ Stefano. They are part of the same organism, the same consciousness, fused inseparably, and Union will tremble before them.


	40. Day 40- Stefano and Lily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano knows Lily from before Union, and he is trying to protect her from Sebastian, not knowing that Sebastian is her father.
> 
> Requested by: DreamLinD
> 
> Warnings: horror themes (canon-typical)
> 
> Universe: Canon AU

Stefano first spots the child in the residential district. He is out for a walk in hopes of warding off the creative slump he can feel coming on, though the streets of Union aren’t particularly inspiring today.

The streets of Union aren’t particularly inspiring ever, because for as long as Stefano can remember, Union has been dreadfully dull. Perhaps peace and quiet and perfect spring weather every day holds appeal for some people, but not for Stefano. Recently he has been dreaming of moving away, of living somewhere fresh and exciting, but something tethers him to Union.

He is contemplating this phenomenon, when a little girl walks out of the backyard of one of the houses lining the street. Her face lights up when she sees him, but then she hesitates, furrowing her brow.

“Excuse me, mister,” she calls, her expression somewhere between hopeful and apprehensive. “Are you...are you normal?”

Stefano has to laugh at that, because only a child would ask such a blunt question. “Well, I certainly like to think so,” he answers, dropping down on one knee so that he is on her level. “What about you?”

The girl looks indignant. “Of course I am,” she says, “but I saw some people before who weren’t.”

Stefano isn’t quite sure what to make of that. “Are you lost?” he asks.

She frowns. “Maybe? I don’t feel lost, but I was with my mom, and now I don’t know where she is.” She moves a few steps closer to Stefano. “Will you help me look for her?”

“Certainly,” Stefano says, both because this is sure to be more interesting than anything else happening in Union right now and because this child is familiar to him for some reason he can’t explain at the moment. He gets to his feet. “Where should we start looking?”

The girl’s face brightens. “I’ll show you.” She seizes Stefano by the hand and begins to lead him down the street. Or rather, she tries to lead him, but they end up walking side by side because Stefano’s stride is so much longer than hers.

“What’s your name?” he asks as they walk.

“Lily,” she replies.

  
  
  
  


They’ve barely made it to the end of the street when it becomes apparent that something very unusual is happening. The sky has been steadily darkening until it almost appears to be nighttime. It feels like the landscape of Union is shifting all around them, but there is also an eerie stillness in the air. This definitely isn’t the Union Stefano knows.

He doesn’t realize he has come to a stop until Lily tugs on his hand. “It’s not much farther,” she says. “Right up there.” She points to the gas station and truck stop at the top of the hill.

“Alright,” Stefano says, “but if she’s not there I think we need to go to the police station. Something strange is going on here.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Lily insists.

They make it to the truck stop, though Lily’s mother isn’t there. They are investigating the back room when the front door to the building slams open.

“Lily?” a man’s voice calls out.

Lily gasps, and Stefano motions to her to be quiet. He closes the door to the back room and turns the lock, then looks around the room for some other way out. There is a small window set high up in the wall, but that looks like their only option.

Lily is quiet, following his gestured directions so that he can boost her out the window before following behind himself. When they are both safely outside, he turns to her.

“Do you know who that was?” he asks.

Lily shakes her head, eyes wide with fear.

“It’s alright,” Stefano says, taking her hand again. “Let’s keep looking for your mother.”

  
  
  
  


Stefano is not at all reassured by what happens next. He and Lily travel to the yards of two more houses and the warehouse of a trucking company. They don’t find Lily’s mother, but they do find a number of strange, twisted humanoid creatures, and Lily’s question about whether Stefano was ‘normal’ doesn’t seem so funny anymore.

Worst of all, the man from the truck stop is still following them. He has been right on their heels a few times, calling out for Lily, and Stefano has managed to catch a glimpse of him, enough to see that he is a rough-looking man, heavily armed and more than capable of dispatching any enemies that stand in his path. Stefano doesn’t know what he wants with Lily, but he doesn’t intend to give her up without a fight. He’s invested now, and more importantly he’s beginning to wonder if he and Lily are the only two ‘normal’ people left in Union.

It’s Lily’s idea to go to City Hall. Based on what they’ve seen so far, Stefano doesn’t think it’s very likely that they’ll find help there, but he can’t think of a better plan.

Predictably, the building is as eerie and deserted as the rest of Union. Stefano and Lily are exploring one of the upper gallery rooms when there is a clatter of footsteps and the man from the truck stop dashes through the door.

“Lily!” he shouts when he catches sight of the girl.

Lily jumps, grabbing Stefano’s hand in fear, and this time, something is different. Stefano can feel her fear, can feel the energy pulsing from her hand into his. He feels...different. He feels powerful.

He instinctively grabs for his camera with his other hand, pulls it from his jacket, and clicks the shutter. There is a flash of blue light, and the man is frozen in place, face locked in an expression of surprise.

Stefano isn’t entirely sure what just happened, but he feels exhilarated, alive in a way he hasn’t for such a long time. He turns to Lily.

“Let’s go,” he says. “I’ll protect you.”

Lily nods and squeezes his hand tighter.


	41. Day 41- Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lily, Sebastian, and Stefano celebrate Halloween (domestic).
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: none
> 
> Universe: any post-Union AU

Stefano doesn’t seem to mind the messier aspects of pumpkin carving, but Lily is a different story.

“No way!” she declares, after sticking her hand into the pumpkin exactly once. “It’s too slimy!”

Sebastian laughs. “I’ll help you if you want, but you’re missing the best part.”

Lily nods frantically and shoves her pumpkin across the newspaper-covered kitchen table at him. “That’s okay,” she says. “I don’t need to do the best part. I just want to carve it.”

“Carving it  _ is _ the best part,” Stefano says. His eye is trained on his pumpkin, and his voice is soft, almost dreamy. He has finished removing the pumpkin’s innards and now seems to be doing his best to recreate some artistic masterpiece Sebastian isn’t familiar with. Or maybe it’s his own creation...actually, knowing Stefano, it’s almost certainly his own creation.

“No, the guts are definitely the best part,” Sebastian says, reaching into Lily’s pumpkin to pull out a handful. He extends the fistful of pulp toward Lily. “See?”

Lily squeals and pushes her chair back from the table. “Dad, that’s gross!”

Sebastian shakes his head. Sometimes he wonders if Lily is actually his daughter, but then he remembers that she’s spent half her life in an artificial world where apparently her range of sensory experiences did not include pumpkin guts. She seems perfectly happy to let him clean out the pumpkin, though she is bouncing in her chair with impatience by the time he switches to a big spoon to finish scraping the inside.

“Alright,” he says, “it’s all yours now.”

Lily takes to carving with an enthusiasm that makes Stefano smile and Sebastian wonder why on earth Lily is so comfortable using a knife. He puts that thought aside and turns his attention back to his own pumpkin.

By the time they are finished, Stefano’s pumpkin looks like it belongs in a museum, and Lily’s is a close second. Sebastian’s, on the other hand…

“Oh dear,” Stefano says as he moves behind Sebastian’s chair to look over his shoulder. “What happened here?”

“What, you don’t like my vision?” Sebastian asks, doing his best impression of Stefano. “Philistine!”

“How many eyes does it have?” Stefano asks. He sounds like he is holding back laughter.

“You know that’s something I’ve never spent too much time worrying about,” Sebastian says, turning to Stefano with a wink. “But I guess three or four? It took me a while to find a shape I liked.”

He wraps an arm around Stefano’s waist and pulls him in for a kiss. Stefano indulges him for a few moments, but then immediately goes back to scrutinizing his pumpkin. “It certainly looks...unique.”

“Come on,” Sebastian says. “Looks aren’t everything. I mean, you married me.” He raises an eyebrow.

Stefano gives him a playful shove. “You’re ruggedly handsome.”

“And so is this pumpkin,” Sebastian insists.

Stefano can’t contain his laughter anymore, and Lily steps in to take a look at Sebastian’s handiwork. “You can’t put that out, Dad. It’s going to scare the little kids.”

“Maybe it’s supposed to be scary,” Sebastian suggests. “It  _ is _ Halloween.”

“In that case,” Stefano says. “Bravo.”

They put the jack o’lanterns out on the front porch, and spend a few minutes admiring how the candles inside them illuminate their artwork before Lily runs upstairs to put on her cat costume. At first, Sebastian wasn’t sure whether she would think she was too old for trick-or-treating, but Lily seems eager to catch up on everything she has missed while she was in STEM.

“Do you need help with your face paint?” he calls up the stairs. They’ve done a few test runs of Lily’s costume this week, mostly because Lily has been looking for any excuse to put it on, and the face paint is definitely the tricky part.

“No,” Lily answers back a little too quickly. “Stefano’s helping.”

After the way his pumpkin turned out, Sebastian can’t really blame Lily for preferring help from Stefano. And surely Stefano is the right man for the job...or at least, that’s what Sebastian thinks for the first twenty minutes.

“Hey guys,” he calls after some time has gone by. “Everything okay up there?”

“Yes!” they shout back in unison, and then Stefano adds, “Just doing the finishing touches.”

The finishing touches take another ten minutes, which is just like Stefano, and Sebastian is about to check on them again when Lily bounds down the stairs with Stefano behind her.

“Ready!” she announces.

“Good,” Sebastian says. “If you guys took any longer, it wouldn’t be Halloween anymore.”

“Oh, it’s not that late,” Stefano says, putting on his jacket. “Besides, one cannot put time constraints on the process of creation.”

“Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that,” Sebastian replies. He shrugs into his own jacket and tries to hand Lily hers.

“No, Dad,” she protests. “It’ll cover up my costume.”

Sebastian heaves a sigh and tucks Lily’s jacket under his arm, because he’s pretty sure that after a few minutes outside she’s going to want it, costume or no costume.

It’s a perfectly crisp fall evening, complete with a light breeze rustling the dry leaves and the faint smell of a bonfire somewhere nearby. There are already a few children in costumes making their way down the block. Lily meets up with two of her friends from the neighborhood, and Sebastian and Stefano trail behind them as they go from one house to the next.

“I miss the days of free candy,” Sebastian says wistfully, watching Lily and her friends comparing bags.

“You know, you  _ are _ an adult with a job,” Stefano points out. “You can buy all the candy you want.”

“It’s not the same,” Sebastian says, and they both laugh.

“If only I had known that candy was the way to your heart,” Stefano says.

“You already know the way to my heart,” Sebastian replies, reaching for Stefano’s hand and finding it in the dark. “I think you always did.”


	42. Day 42- Photo Shoot (Negative Space)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stefano convinces Sebastian to model for a sexy photo shoot.
> 
> Requested by: Anon
> 
> Warnings: explicit sexual content
> 
> Universe: Negative Space (post-story)

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Sebastian grumbles as he takes a seat on the couch in Stefano’s studio.

“You’re certainly not to blame,” Stefano replies, looking entirely too pleased with himself for Sebastian’s comfort. “You know how persuasive I can be.”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Sebastian says. Stefano’s powers of persuasion have gotten Sebastian into more than one compromising position in the past, and he has a sinking feeling that they are heading in that direction now.

“Nonsense,” Stefano says, giving Sebastian an affectionate pat on the knee. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I just need you to stand in for my regular model while I test out some lighting effects. Surely that’s not too much to ask?”

Sebastian is still deeply suspicious, but when Stefano explains it like that it sounds safe enough, and he does try to be supportive of Stefano’s work. “Fine,” he says. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Sit right there for the moment,” Stefano says with a winning smile. “I need to make a few adjustments.”

Stefano’s ‘adjustments’ seem to mainly revolve around repositioning a couple of lights that look like they would be at home in an operating theatre, and by the time he is finished, Sebastian feels a little bit like an insect being studied...or maybe a suspect about to be interrogated. It’s especially unsettling because the lights are so blinding that he can’t see Stefano behind them.

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and he is about to protest the intensity of the lighting when Stefano circles around into his field of vision. He scrutinizes Sebastian for a moment, then frowns, tapping a finger against his chin.

“What?” Sebastian says. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” Stefano replies after a pause. “You are wearing entirely too many clothes.”

“That’s got to be the worst pick-up line in the world,” Sebastian says, because if all Stefano wanted was to get him out of his clothes, he didn’t have to go to so much trouble.

“In this case, it is not a pick-up line at all,” Stefano says mildly. “It is merely an observation. Have you never seen a classical painting, Sebastian? Or a sculpture?” Sebastian figures he probably has at some point, but Stefano doesn’t give him a chance to answer. “They are all nude, Sebastian. You can’t imagine  _ David _ or  _ Venus de Milo _ wearing clothes, can you?”

Sebastian is completely lost now, but shrugs. “I guess not?”

“Of course you can’t,” Stefano says, throwing up his hands with an artistic flourish. “And if we are going to make you a proper model, you need to disrobe as well.”

Sebastian considers pointing out that he doesn’t necessarily want to be a ‘proper model’, but he knows better than to argue with Stefano when he’s in one of his fits of inspiration. Besides, the way Stefano is looking at him right now is intriguing, almost hungry, and Sebastian’s body responds with a tiny prickle of excitement.

“Alright,” Sebastian says, rising to his feet and kicking off his shoes. “But I’d better not end up on the cover of some naughty magazine.”

Stefano looks horrified by that suggestion. “Of course not!” is his indignant reply. “Do you really think I would share your body with anyone else?”

The predatory look is back in his eye, which doesn’t stray from Sebastian the entire time he is undressing. Even though Stefano has certainly seen him naked before, he is feeling a little self-conscious under such intense scrutiny.

“What do you...um...want me to do now?” he asks, when he has removed his last article of clothing. He can feel the blush spreading across his face and neck, but he’s already come this far. There’s no turning back now.

“Sit down,” Stefano says, gesturing to the couch. “And try to relax.”

Sebastian lets out a bark of laughter at that, because he is about as far from relaxed as it is possible for anyone to be. That feeling of being examined is back, and it is only magnified when Stefano is looking at him through the camera lens, but Stefano pays him no mind and begins clicking away, periodically adjusting his vantage point.

Sebastian’s body is tense, his breath is coming faster with each click of the shutter, and he can feel the heat spreading from his face down his chest and even lower until...he crosses one leg over the other in an attempt to cover himself. He cannot be getting aroused- not now, not while Stefano is-

“Stop fidgeting Sebastian,” Stefano scolds, stepping in closer to touch his knee, urging him to uncross his legs. “That’s a perfectly natural reaction, nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Sebastian very much doubts that this is a natural reaction to being photographed in the nude, but he dutifully uncrosses his legs and tries to ignore the fact that he is only getting harder as Stefano continues.

He is surprised to find that he is actually starting to relax as the session goes on. Soon Stefano is giving him directions, making adjustments to his position, and snapping away with the camera, and it all feels like the most normal thing in the world.

He can’t help but notice when Stefano moves in closer that his cheek is flushed pink, that he is breathing harder, even before he spots the bulge in his pants. Whether this is a natural reaction or not, they are clearly both having it.

The next time Stefano steps in close Sebastian reaches out, grabbing his hips and urging him forward. Stefano complies, lowering the camera from his face as he moves to straddle Sebastian on the couch. He sets the camera aside and turns back to Sebastian.

“I think that’s enough shots for this session,” he says breathlessly. His hands are already tangling in Sebastian’s hair.

“Did you get what you needed?” Sebastian asks.

“Not quite,” Stefano replies, “but I think I’m about to...”


End file.
